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Researcn  PuDlications  of  the  University  of  Minnesota 
Vol.  VIII  No.  3  June  1919 

Studies  m  Language  and  Literature 
Number  6 


THE  ORIGINAL  IDENTITY  OF  THE 

YORK  AND  TOWNELEY 

CYCLES 


BY 


MARIE  C.  LYLE,  PLD. 


Published  hy  the  University  of  J^innesota 
Minneapolis,  J^innesota 


Copyright   1919 

BY  THE 

University  of  Minnesota 


£X 


CHANCHI 


PREFACE 

The  theory  of  the  formation  of  cycles  of  mystery  plays  held  by  earlier 
students  of  the  subject,  by  even  so  great  a  scholar  as  Ten  Brink,  was  that 
they  were  written  by  various  individual  authors  at  various  places  and  were 
collected  into  groups  much  as  Elizabethan  or  other  plays  are  collected. 
Each  play,  it  was  believed,  had  its  own  author,  place,  and  date  of  compo- 
sition, which  modern  investigation  might  possibly  discover.  The  wide 
variety  of  style,  period,  and  even  of  dialect,  exhibited  within  a  single  cycle, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  many  indications  of  the  work  of  a  single  author,  was 
regarded  as  a  sufficient  basis  for  such  a  conception  and  historians  of  liter- 
ature have  never  rid  themselves  entirely  of  a  theory  of  individual  author- 
ship for  mystery  plays. 

The  particular  forms  in  which  the  mystery  plays  come  down  to  us  are 
not  the  work  of  single  authors,  but  of  redactors,  revisers,  and  mere  tinkerers, 
showing  the  results  of  many  changes  and  modifications  of  the  work  of 
older  and  simpler  originals.  Plays  on  the  same  subject  present  the  variety 
of  treatment  that  different  versions  of  the  same  popular  ballad  present, 
and  the  problem  of  determining  the  original  form  is  not  different  in  the 
one  case  from  what  it  is  in  the  other. 

In  the  thesis  which  follows,  I  endeavor  to  explain  the  problem  presented 
by  the  tangled  series  of  agreements  and  differences  between  two  of  the 
more  important  documents  in  early  English  literature.  From  various 
evidences  in  the  forms  preserved  and  from  the  scant}^  historical  records 
of  the  gilds  responsible  for  the  acting  of  the  plays,  I  attempt  to  discover 
the  relationship  between  the  two  great  cycles  of  Yorkshire  plaj^s,  and 
arrive  at  the  conclusion  that,  at  an  earlier  period,  the  York  cycle  and  the 
Towneley  cycle  were,  as  cycles,  one  and  the  same.  It  is,  thus,  at  variance 
with  the  current  theory  of  the  borrowing  of  individual  plays  from  the  one 
cycle  and  the  incorporation  of  them  into  the  other.  If  my  thesis  finds 
general  acceptance,  we  shall  hear  less  of  plays  "borrowed"  in  such  odd  and 
unaccountable  groups  from  the  York  cycle  by  the  Towneley  cycle,  and 
in  the  study  of  other  cycles  critics  may  apply  the  same  theory  of  continuous 
revision  of  individual  plays,  due  to  craft  control  or  to  other  reasons.  In 
this  connection,  the  recent  article  published  in  Modern  Philology  (January, 
1918)  by  Mrs.  Frank  points  the  way.  This  article  appeared  after  the 
presentation  of  my  thesis  to  the  Facult}^  of  the  Universit}^  of  Minnesota 
(June,  1917),  but  in  my  revision  of  it  for  publication  I  have  availed  myself 
of  certain  evidence  submitted  by  her. 

The  thesis  was  undertaken  and  written  under  the  direction  of  Professor 
Hardin  Craig.  It  has  since,  in  his  absence,  been  revised  for  publication 
under  the  direction  of  Professor  Carleton  Brown.     Both  of  them  have 


iv  PREFACE 

shown  the  most  generous  spirit  of  helpfulness,  interesting  themselves  in 
the  detail  as  well  as  the  general  outlines  of  the  work;  and  I  welcome  this 
opportunity  to  make  public  and  grateful  acknowledgment  of  my  indebted- 
ness to  both  of  them,  and  especially  to  Professor  Craig,  without  whose 
assistance  and  encouragement  the  work  would  never  have  been  undertaken. 

Marie  C.  Lyle 


CONTENTS 

Pages 

Introduction 1-3 

Chapter  I.  The  influence  of   the   Northern   Passion:   a   relationship  in  the 

vernacular 4-29 

Chapter  II.  The  influence  of  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus 30-46 

The  Northern  Septenar  revision 30-45 

The  old  theory  of  a  York  parent  cycle  untenable 45-46 

Separation  of  the  York  and  Towneley  cycles 46 

Chapter  III.  The  interrelation  of  the  York  and  Towneley  metres 47-51 

Chapter  IV.  The  situation  in  the  individual  plays 52-101 

First  group  of  plays 53-54 

The  Departure  of  the  Israelites  from  Egypt 53 

Christ  with  the  Doctors  in  the  Temple 53 

Christ  Led  Up  to   Calvary 53 

The  Harrowing  of  Hell 53 

The  Resurrection 53 

The  Judgment  Day 53 

Second  group  of  plays 54-86 

Joseph's  Trouble  about  Mary 54 

The  Magi 56 

The  Flight  into  Egypt 60 

Massacre  of  the  Innocents 63 

The  Incredulity  of  Thomas 65 

The  Creation  Group 68 

Prophetic  Prologue  to  the  Annunciation 71 

The  Shepherds 73 

John  the  Baptist 74 

Lazarus 75 

The  Conspiracy,  including  the  Conspiracy  Proper,  the  Last  Supper, 

the  Agony  and  Betraj'al 77 

The  Crucifixion  and  Burial 83 

The  Appearance  of  Jesus  to  Mary  Magdalene 84 

The  Peregrini 85 

Third  group  of  plays 87-93 

Noah  and  the  Flood 87 

The  Annunciation 89 

The  Visit  to  Elizabeth 90 

The  Examination  before  Caiaphas 90 

The  Ascension 92 

Fourth  group  of  plays 93-98 

Cain  and  Abel 93 

Abraham  and  Isaac 96 

The  Scourging  or  Condemnation 97 

Fifth  group  of  plays 98 

Sixth  group  of  plaj^s 98-100 

Conclusion 100 

Development  of  the  Towneley  cycle 100-101 

Chapter  V.  The  probable  date  of  separation 102-8 

Bibliography 109-113 


THE   ORIGINAL   IDENTITY   OF   THE   YORK 
AND   TOWNELEY   CYCLES 

INTRODUCTION 

The  extent  and  the  nature  of  the  relationship  between  the  York  and 
Towneley  cycles  have  been  the  subject  of  repeated  investigation.  Miss 
Lucy  Toulmin  Smith,  the  editor  of  the  York  cycle, ^  called  attention  to 
five  Towneley  plays  which,  except  for  slight  additions,  gaps,  or  modifica- 
tions, agree  verbally  with  York  plays.  Further  parallels  between  the 
texts  of  the  two  cj^cles  were  scon  discovered.  An  identical  stanza  spoken 
by  the  Angel  in  York  XVII.  (strophe  27)  and  Towneley  XIV  (strophe  100) 
was  observed  by  Joseph  Hall.-  Also,  Dr.  Herttrich^  noted  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  York  play,  Christ  Led  Up  to  Calvary  (XXXIV),  was  present  in 
Towneley  (XXII),  and  that  the  Flight  into  Egypt  (Y  PI.  XVIII  and  T 
PI.  XV)  contained  certain  similarities  in  phraseology.  In  endeavoring  to 
account  for  the  presence  of  identical  plan's,  or  portions  of  plays,  in  the  two 
cycles,  each  of  these  scholars  proposed  a  different  theory:  (1)  according 
to  Miss  Smith,  Towneley  borrowed  the  plays  from  York;'*  (2)  Hall  pre- 
ferred to  believe  that  York  borrowed  the  plays  from  Towneley  f  (3)  Hert- 
trich  argued  that  the  plays  in  question  were  derived  from  a  common  source.® 

The  problem  of  the  relationship  between  the  two  cycles  was  further 
complicated  by  Professor  Hohlfeld's  discovery  of  the  presence  of  slighter 
similarities  in  eight  other  plays.''  Discarding  as  insufficient  the  evidence 
produced  for  the  theory  of  a  common  source,  and  regarding  the  borrowing 
on  the  part  of  York  as  unlikely,  he  concluded  that  the  Towneley  author 
must  have  been  familiar  with  the  York  plays,  and  that  he  borrowed  certain 
plays  outright,  constructed  others  from  a  memory  of  York  plays,  and 
wrote  still  others  independently  of  any  York  influence.  Those  plays  i 
which  he  regarded  as  imitations  are :  the  Annunciation,  the  Ofering  of  the 

»  Lucy  Toulmin  Smith,  The  York  ^lystery  Plays  (1885).  The  plays  noted  by  Miss  Smith  were 
York  XI,   XX,  XXXVII,  XXXVIII,  XLVIII  and  Towneley  VIII,  XVIII,  XXV.  XXVI,  XXX  (part). 

-Joseph  Hall,  Eng.  Stud.  (1886)  9:448.  In  the  play  of  the  Resurrection,  one  of  the  identical  plays,, 
he  notes  that  the  similarity  begins  earlier  than  Miss  Smith  {op.  cit.  397)  had  noticed.  j 

3  O.  Herttrich,  Stttdien  zii  den  York  Plays  (1886)  3-6. 

*  Miss  Smith  {op.  cit.  intro.  xlvi),  accepting  the  theory  of  the  Sttrtees  Society  editor  of  the  Towneley 
Mysteries  (pref.  x)  that  the  Towneley  cycle  was  a  collection  of  plays  drawn  from  different  sources,  sug- 
gested that  the  plays  in  question  were  borrowed  from  York  by  Towneley. 

5  Mr.  Hall  {op.  cit.  449),  accepting  Skeat's  dictum  {Joseph  of  .Arimathea,  pref.  x)  that  "the  law  of  j 
progress  in  alliterative  poetry  is  from  lines  cast  in  a  loose  mould  to  lines  cast  in  a  strict  one,"  concludedjj 
that  the  York  plays  in  their  present  shape  are  later  than  the  corresponding  Towneley  texts. 

6  Herttrich,  op.  cit.     On  the  basis  of  a  detailed  comparison  of  the  identical  plays.   Dr.   Herttrich  | 
concluded  that  the  grammar  of  the  insertions,  omissions,  and  variations  was  such  that  neither  cycle  could 
have  borrowed  from  the  other,  but  that  each  was  independently  based  upon  a  common  original,  of  which  I 
perhaps  the  York  version,  with  its  greater  metrical  regularity  and  fulness  in  detail,  was  nearer  the  original.  \ 

'  Hohlfeld,  Die  altenglischen  Kollektivmysterien  Anglia  11:219  ff. 


2  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

Magi,  the  Flight  into  Egypt,  Herod  the  Great,  the  Conspiracy,  the  Buffeting, 
the  Scourging,  and  the  Crucifixion.^  In  the  Prologue  to  the  Annunciation, 
Professor  Davidson^  found  a  closer  resemblance  than  that  pointed  out  by- 
Professor  Hohlfeld.  For  this  play,  as  well  as  for  the  Magi  and  the  Flight 
into  Egypt,  Professor  Gayley^"  considered  the  theory  of  imitation  probable. 
Such  plays  as  Abraham  and  Isaac,  John  the  Baptist,  and  the  Peregrini,  he 
believed,  were  based  upon  "early  alternatives  of  York  plays,  later 
discarded." 

The  probability  that  later  independent  revisions  of  certain  plays  took 
place  in  each  cycle  after  the  period  of  contact  has  been  suggested  in 
different  studies.  Professor  Davidson,  having  established  by  means  of 
rhyme  scheme  tests  a  common  authorship  for  the  Northern  Septenar 
strophes  of  the  Towneley  Conspiracio  and  the  Northern  Septenar  plays  of 
the  York  cycle,  concluded  that  the  Towneley  play  had  been  borrowed 
from  York  and  that  the  later  modification  of  the  same  strophe  in  the  cor- 
responding York  play  was  an  indication  of  a  later  revision  based  upon  the 
play  now  extant  in  the  Towneley  cycle. ^^  Mr.  Pollard^^  hazarded  a 
similar  guess  for  the  plays  of  the  Peregrini  and  the  Suspencio  lude,  two 
pla^^s  which  occur  in  another  York  metre,  the  "Burns"  measure^^  of  the 
Resurrection.  According  to  this  assumption,  the  York  plays  represent 
revisions  of  the  Towneley  plays  just  mentioned.  The  minor  changes 
discernible  in  the  so-called  identical  plays  are  generally  regarded  as  later 
modifications  made  by  Wakefield^^  playwrights,^^  although  some  of  the 
changes  may  have  taken  place  in  the  York  cycle.  Moreover,  the  additions 
by  the  so-called  Wakefield  author  in  the  play  of  the  Last  Judgment  are 
decisive  evidence  of  later  revisions  in  the  Towneley  cycle.^^ 

The  most  recent  theory  is  that  proposed  by  Professor  Cady.^^  Observ- 
ing the  general  structural  similarities  which  underlie  the  York  and  Towne- 
ley plays  of  the  Nativity,  Passion,  and  Resurrection  groups,  he  endeavors 
to  account  for  them  by  assuming  that  the  two  cycles  developed  from  a 
common  liturgical  source.    This  theory,  however,  fails  to  supply  an  adequate 

8  Towneley  plays  X.  XIV,  XV,  XVI,  XX.  XXI.  XXII,  and  XXIII. 
-  •  Charles  Davidson,  Studies  in  the  English  Mystery  Plays  157. 
4  10  Gayley,  Plays  of  Our  Forefathers  134,  n.  1. 
I'  Davidson,  op.  cil.  144, 

»2  A.  W,  Pollard,  The  Towneley  Mysteries,  EETSES  71:  intro.  xxvi. 
I'Saintsbury,  History  of  English  Prosody.     1:204  £f. 

>^.M.  H.  Peacock,  The  Wakefield  Mysteries:  the  Place  of  Representation,  Anglia  24:509  ff. 
"  Smith,  op.  cil.  intro.  xlvi;  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:219  ff.;  Pollard,  op.  cil.  intro.  xvi  S.. 
"A.  W.  Pollard,  op.  cil.  intro.  xxi  and  Gayley,  op.  cil.   177  present  this  view.     Cady,  on  the  other 
hand,  (The  Towneley  Couplets  and  Quatrains,  Journ.  Eng.Ger.  Phil.  10:572  ff.  and  The  Passion  Group 
in  Towneley,  Mod.  Phil.  10:599)  maintains  that  the  work  of  the  so-called  Wakefield  author  preceded  the 
York  borrowings.     Mrs.  Grace  Frank,  Revisions  in  the  English  Mystery  Plays,  Mod.  Phil.  15:181  ff., 
presents  evidence  for  the  older  view. 
■'"C^y,  The  Liturgical  Basis  of  the  Towneley  Mysteries,  PMLA.  24:419  fl.;  o/).  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  10:587  fiE. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  3 

explanation  for  the  existing  relationship,^^  since  it  confines  itself  to  those 
portions  of  the  cycle  to  which  the  liturg}'-  of  the  Church  might  be  expected  [ 
to  afford  parallels/^  and  takes  no  account  of  other  similarities  which  are  \ 
certainly  due  to  vernacular  sources.  Moreover,  it  fails  entirely  to  account  ; 
for  the  remarkable  parallels  presented  b}^  the  identical  plays.  These  plays, ; 
as  well  as  certain  similarities  in  other  plays,  indicate  a  common  source  notf 
only  in  liturgical  plays  but  also  in  the  vernacular. 

Thus,  the  relation  between  the  two  cycles  must  be  explained  by  a  theory 
which  takes  into  consideration,  not  only  all  the  existing  similarities,  but 
also  all  the  dissimilarities.  In  the  case  of  the  similarities,  we  have,  as 
already  noted,  a  practical  identit}^  of  certain  plays,  a  verbal  identity  of 
isolated  passages  in  certain  other  plays,  and  a  structural  resemblance, 
without  the  presence  of  verbal  agreement,  in  still  other  plays.  The  earlier 
theories  advanced,  those  by  Miss  Smith,  Mr.  Hall,  and  Dr.  Herttrich, 
were  based,  in  general,  upon  the  presence  of  identical  plays  in  the  two 
cycles;  the  later  theories,  those  by  Hohlfeld,  Davidson,  Pollard,  Gayley, 
and  Cady,  asstuned  that  the  relationship  which  determined  the  presence 
of  identical  plays  in  the  two  cycles  was  different  from  that  which  determined 
the  presence  of  less  striking  similarities  in  other  plays.  Although,  in  general, 
they  admitted  the  possibility  of  independent  revisions  in  the  two  cycles 
after  the  period  of  contact,  they  failed  to  consider  the  possibility  that  all 
existing  similarities  may  be  explained  by  one  hypothesis,  and  that  the 
dissimilarities  were  the  restdt  of  later  independent  revisions.  The  presence 
of  identical  plays  may,  indeed,  indicate  the  relationship  originally  existing 
in  the  two  cycles.  It,  therefore,  seems  to  me  that  the  York  and  Towneley 
cycles  were  one  and  the  same  up  to  a  certain  period  in  the  vernacular 
stage;  that  this  identity  of  plays  represents  the  parent-cycle  stage;  and 
that  this  parent  cycle,  established  separately  at  York  and  Wakefield  (?), 
underwent  revisions  at  both  places,  the  revisions  in  one  cycle  being  inde- 
pendent, presumabl}^  of  those  in  the  other. 

That  the  similarities  in  the  corresponding  plays  of  the  two  cycles 
differ  in  degree  and  kind  is  due  to  the  fact  that  certain  plays  underwent 
more  extended  revisions  than  others.  Six  distinct  groups  of  plays  may  be 
distinguished:  (1)  plays  which  are  practically  identical,  (2)  plays  showing 
a  close  similarity  in  structure  and  phraseology  extending  to  the  retention 
of  common  rhymes,  (3)  plays  showing  a  close  similarity  in  structure,  but 
with  not  so  extensive  a  similarity  in  phraseolog>%  (4)  plays  showing  a  simi- 
larity in  structure  but  with  no  similarity  in  phraseology,  (5)  plays  show- 
ing little  similarity  in  structtiral  outline  and  no  agreement  in  phraseology, 
(6)  plays  present  in  one  cycle  but  not  in  the  other. 

19  Mrs.  Frank,  op.  cit.  p.  186,  n.  2,  points  out  that  Professor  Cady  takes  no  account  of  differences  in   /; 
earlier  York  plays  as  described  in  Burton's  1415  list. 
15  Chambers,  The  Medieval  Stage  2:ch.  xviii-xsii. 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  NORTHERN  PASSION:  A  RELATION- 
SHIP  IN   THE   VERNACULAR 

The  most  decisive  evidence  pointing  to  a  relationship  between  York 
and  Towneley  in  the  vernaciilar  is  supplied  by  the  metrical  narrative 
known  as  the  Northern  Passion.^  The  immediate  source  of  the  two  cycles 
is  available  only  in  the  case  of  the  Passion  group:  namely,  the  Northern 
Passion  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,'^  and  in  this  group  of  plays,  the 
vernacular  sources,  not  liturgical,  adequately  account  for  the  existing 
similarities. 

The  influence  of  the  Northern  Passion  upon  certain  of  the  York  and 
Towneley  plays  has  been  noted  by  Miss  Foster,^  but  the  comparison  may 
be  extended  further.  The  parallels  already  pointed  out  occur  in  six  of  the 
twelve  plays  making  up  the  York  Passion  group  proper.*  Of  the  six 
remaining  plays,  the  Conspiracy  and  Agony,  as  recorded  in  the  accompany- 
ing chart,  and  the  Trial  before  Herod''  show  in  a  slighter  degree  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Northern  Passion.  This  leaves  but  three  plays  of  the  York 
Passion  group  unaffected  b}^  it,  and  two  of  these,  the  First  Trial  before 
Pilate  and  the  Condemnation,  show  the  influence  of  the  other  vernacular 
source,  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus}  In  Towneley,  in  addition  to  the  Con- 
spiracio,''  a  definite  use  of  the  Northern  Passion,  as  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying chart,  appears  in  all  of  the  Passion  plays  except  that  of  the 
Talents. 

The  influence  of  the  Northern  Passion  upon  York  and  Towneley  is 
showm  in  the  following  chart. 

x^»     '  Frances  A.  Foster,  The  Northern  Passion  EETS  145  and  147. 

2  W.  H.  Hulme,  Middle  English  Harrowing  of  Hell  and  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  EETS  (Ex.  Ser.)  100; 
W.  A.  Craigie,  The  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  and  the  York"  Mystery  Plays  Furnivall  Birthday  Book  52  S. 
The  part  which  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  played  in  the  development  of  the  York  and  Towneley  cycles  will 
be  presented  below,  ch.  II. 

'  Foster,  op.  cit.  EETS  147:81  fl. 

*  The  plays  extending  from  the  Entry  into  Jerusalem  up  to  and  through  the  Death  and  Burial  are 
included  in  the  Passion  group  proper. 

'In  Play  XXXI,  the  Trial  be/ate  Herod,  verbal  and  structural  similarities  to  the  Northern  Passion 
occur:  cf.  NP  11.  976a  and  Y  11.  134-35;  NP  11.  962-62d,  967-70  and  Y  11.  136-39;  NP  1.  999  and  Y  1.  324; 
NP  11.  1005-6b  and  Y  11.  394,  392. 

•  See  below,  ch.  II,  pp.  31-32  for  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  upon  these  two  plays.  The 
source  of  the  Entry,  the  other  one  of  the  three  plays  not  influenced  by  the  Northern  Passion,  has  not  yet 
been  discovered. 

'  In  an  earlier  article  {Mod.  Lang.  Notes  24:169),  Miss  Foster  believed  the  influence  of  the  Northern 
Passion  apparent  in  Towneley  plays  XXII,  XXIII,  and  XXVI,  as  well  as  XX,  the  Conspiracio,  but  in  a 
later  study  (EETS  147:86  flf.),  she  says  nothing  concerning  the  influence  upon  the  first  three  plays. 


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Whe!  sis,  felawes,  be  my  faith  he  is 

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(11.  298-300) 

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what  he  saies.     (1.  275) 

*(a)   Same 

t(b)  Same 

*(c)   Same 

I  coniure  l^e  kyndely,  and  commaunde 

\:>e  also. 
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schall  ay. 

o 

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fTor  all  the  craft  thou  can; 
Till  thou  com  to  sir  cayphas, 
Saue  the  shall  no  man. 
(11.  752-55) 

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t(c)  That  he  cures  the  sick. 

*(20)   Same 

ffor,    certys,    I    my    self    shall/ 
make  examynyng.     (1.  128) 

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t(b)    The   Jews   are   angry   at   Jesus' 

silence  and  wish  to  beat  him. 
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down  the  temple  and  rebuild  it  in 
three  daj^s. 

*(20)   Caiaphas  examines  Jesus. 
*(a)  Jesus  refuses  to  answer. 

*(c)  Caiaphas  finally  asks  him  if  he  is 
God's  son,  and  is  answered. 

"I  coniore  \)e  thurgh  god  lifand 
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28 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  29 

In  the  preceding  comparative  analysis,  three  different  groups  of  simi- 
larities may  be  distinguished  between  the  Passion  plan's  of  the  York  and 
Towneley  cycles:  (1)  those  which  are  based  primarily  upon  the  Northern 
Passion;  (2)  those,  which  merely  suggested  by  the  Northern  Passion 
narrative,  are  developed  further  in  both  c^'cles  b}''  the  use  of  similar  details; 
(3)  those  which  are  not  found  in  the  Northern  Passion.  Groups  (1)  and  (2) 
include  the  incidents  which  were  certainly  fundamental  in  the  making  up 
of  the  Passion  plays.  They  form  the  basis  for  the  chief  incidents  con- 
nected with  the  Conspiracy,  the  Last  Supper,  the  Agony  and  Betrayal,  the 
Examination  before  Caiaphas,  the  Bearing  of  the  Cross,  the  Crucifixion, 
Death,  and  Burial.  The  similarities  in  these  two  groups,  then,  are  due  to 
the  use  of  a  vernacular  source,  and  can  not  be  regarded  as  evidence  pointing 
to  a  common  liturgical  source.^''  Nor  does  it  seem  probable  that  the  simi- 
larities belonging  to  the  third  group  are  of  liturgical  origin.  They  seem 
rather  to  be  embellishments  used  by  the  plaj^wright  for  dramatic  purposes ; 
in  many  cases,  they  are  merel}''  the  additions 'which  a  dramatic  presenta- 
tion of  the  subject-matter  demanded. 

It  is  possible  that  the  York  and  Towneley  Passion  groups  may  have 
had  a  common  litiirgical  source,  as  suggested  by  Professor  Cq.6.y,'^^  but  all 
traces  of  it,  supposing  one  to  have  existed,  have  been  completely 
obliterated  by  material  derived  from  the  Northern  Passion.  The  simi- 
larities existing  between  the  corresponding  York  and  Towneley  plaj-s  of 
the  Passion  group  can  not,  then,  be  explained  bj^  the  theory  of  a  common 
liturgical  source,  but  must  be  ascribed,  in  large  part,  to  the  use  of  a  ver- 
nacular source,  that  of  the  Northern  Passion. 

Were  the  similarities  between  the  Passion  plays  of  York  and  Towneley 
confined  to  the  first  and  second  groups,  it  would  seem  that  these  plays 
might  have  been  derived  independently  from  a  common  source,  the  Northern 
Passion.  But  the  similarities  included  in  the  third  group,  those  which  have 
no  basis  in  the  Northern  Passion,  preclude  this  possibility.  Such  similari- 
ties indicate  a  contact  between  the  two  cjxles,  which  obviously  occurred 
after  the  influence  of  the  Northern  Passion.  The  most  striking  evidence 
for  this  view  is  seen  in  the  events  connected  with  the  bearing  of  the  cross 
to  Calva^3^  The  wording  of  the  scene  is  practically  identical  in  both 
cycles,  although  the  text  of  the  Northern  Passion,  while  forming  the  basis 
for  the  play,  does  not  provide  for  the  close  verbal  agreement.  The 
existence  of  such  similarities  seem.s  rather  to  point  to  a  parent  cjxle,  from 
which  the  extant  versions  of  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  were  derived. ^^ 

"  Cady,  The  Towneley  Nativity  and  Resurrection  Groups  PMLA.  24:419  ff.;  The  Passion  Group 
in  Towneley  Mod.  Phil.  10:587  ff. 

"  Cady,  ibid.  Mod.  Phil.  10:587  ff. 

12  Whether  or  not  the  parent  cycle  included  all  of  the  Northern  Passion  incidents  now  present  in  the 
extant  versions  of  both  cycles,  it  is  impossible  to  determine.  It  seems  probable  that  the  York  cycle, 
because  its  use  of  the  Northern  Passion  is  more  extensive  than  is  that  of  the  Towneley  cycle,  made  a  second 
and  more  extended  use  of  it,  perhaps  when  some  of  the  plays  were  revised  in  the  Northern  Septenar  metre. 
See  below,  ch.  II,  p.  30  ff. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE   INFLUENCE   OF   THE   GOSPEL   OF   NICODEMUS 

The  Northern  Septenar  Revision 

The  fundamental  source  of  the  Passion  plays  in  the  York  cycle,  as  has 
been  shown  in  the  preceding  chapter,  was  the  Northern  Passion.  But  one 
may  recognize  also  in  several  of  these  plays  the  direct  influence  of  another 
vernacular  text,  the  Gospel  oj  Nicodemus.  This  influence  manifests  itself 
not  only  in  the  appropriation  of  material  but  also  in  the  adoption  in  sev- 
eral plays  of  its  characteristic  stanza,  the  "Northern  Septenar."  The  de- 
pendence of  the  York  plays  upon  the  text  of  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  was 
first  noted  by  Mr.  Craigie;^  their  indebtedness  in  the  matter  of  metrical 
form  was  suggested  by  Professor  Hulme  in  his  edition  of  this  Middle 
English  poem. 2 

Unlike  the  Northern  Passion,  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  as  I  shall 
endeavor  to  show,  did  not  supply  the  fundamental  source  for  the  York 
plays  dealing  with  the  Passion  but  was  used  merely  for  elaboration  and 
expansion.  Although  it  forms  the  basis  of  the  Harrowing  of  Hell  and  two 
of  the  trial  scenes  before  Pilate,^  it  could  not  have  been  fundamental  in 
the  formation  of  the  Passion  group,  because  it  deals  only  with  the  incidents 
connected  with  the  Trial  and  Condemnation  of  Jesus  before  Pilate,  of  his 
Crucifixion,  Death,  and  Burial,  of  his  Harrowing  of  Hell,  and  of  his 
Resurrection.  The  York  Passion  group,  on  the  other  hand,  begins  with 
the  Entry  into  Jerusalem  and  includes  the  events  connected  with  the 
Bargaining  and  Selling  of  Jesus,  the  Last  Supper,  the  Agony  and  Betrayal, 
the  Examination  before  Caiaphas,  Peter's  Denial,  the  Trial  before  Herod, 
the  two  Trials  before  Pilate,  the  Scourging  and  Mocking  of  Jesus,  the 
Bearing  of  the  Cross,  the  Crucifixion,  Death,  and  Burial.  All  of  these 
events,  however,  as  well  as  the  Harrowing  of  Hell  and  the  Resurection 
are  treated  by  the  Northern  Passion,*  the  influence  of  which  is  seen  in  all 
the  plays  beginning  with  the  Conspiracy  and  up  to  and  including  the 
Resurrection,  with  the  exception  of  the  Harrowing  of  Hell  and  two  of  the 
Trial  scenes  before  Pilate.  Moreover,  the  events  which  are  connected  with 
but  one  of  the  trials  in  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  that  of  the  Condemnation 
of  Jesus,  are  dispersed  in  York  and  incorporated  into  three  of  the  trials, 

>  Craigie,  The  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  and  the  York  Mystery  Plays     Furnivall  Miscellany  52-61. 
'Hulme,  The  Middle  English  Harrowing  of  Hell  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  EETSES  100:intro. 
xviii. 

•  Craigie,  loc,  oil.;  see  also  below,  p.  31,  n.  5. 

•  Frances  A.  Foster,  The  Northern  Passion  BETS  145  and  147,  and  above,  ch.  I. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  31 

the  Examination  before  Caiaphas,  the  First  Trial  before  Pilate,  and  the 
Condemnation  by  Pilate.° 

Such  a  situation  seems  to  indicate  that  additional  material  from  the 
Gospel  of  Nicodemus  was  incorporated  into  the  York  cycle  in  order  to 
elaborate  the  simpler  trial  scenes  originally  based  upon  the  Northern 
Passion.  This  theory  is  borne  out  by  a  comparison  with  the  description 
given  the  plays  in  the  1415  Burton  list.®  Of  the  five  plays  which  contain 
additions  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  four  differ  from  the  description 
given  them  by  Burton.  The  plays  as  described  by  him  correspond  to 
material  derived  from  the  Northern  Passion,  but  they  contain  no  mention 
of  any  material  derived  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  J 

The  extant  version  of  Play  XXX,  the  First  Trial  before  Pilate,  contains  the  fol- 
lowing incidents:  (1)  the  comic  love  scene  between  Pilate  and  his  wife,  (2)  the 
beadle's  objection  to  their  behavior,  (3)  Pilate's  preparations  for  sleep,  (4)  the 
appearance  of  the  devil  to  Percula  and  the  sending  of  the  messenger  to  Pilate  with 
the  news  of  the  dream,  (5)  the  bringing  of  Jesus  to  Pilate,  (6)  the  beadle's  worship- 
ping of  Jesus  as  he  enters  the  hall,  (7)  the  beadle's  account  of  the  honor  accorded 
Jesus  on  his  entry  into  Jerusalem,  (8)  the  accusations  brought  against  Jesus,  and  (9) 
Pilate's  sending  Jesus  to  Herod  when  he  learns  that  he  is  from  Galilee.  In  the  descrip- 
tion given  the  play  by  the  Burton  list,^  only  the  eighth  incident,  as  mentioned  above, 
with  the  possible  inclusion  also  of  the  fifth  and  the  ninth,  are  provided  for.  It  is 
significant  that  the  Northern  Passion  deals  only  with  these  three  incidents  and 
since  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  is  to  be  found  in  the  fourth,  sixth, 
and  seventh  incidents  and  in  a  number  of  the  accusations  in  the  eighth  incident,  it 

*  Verbal  agreements  are  found  in  the  following  passages:  (1)  Between  Y  PI.  XXIX  and  G  of  N:  Y  II. 
33-39  and  G  of  N  11.  39-44,  Y  11.  40-45  and  G  of  N  Add.  11.  29-38,  Y  II.  50-54  and  G  of  N  II.  22-28,  Y  1.  57 
and  G  of  N  11.  47-48;  (2)  between  Y  PL  XXX  and  G  of  N:  (C)  Y  I.  177  and  G  of  N  II.  197-98,  Y  I.  292 
and  G  of  N  11.  215-16,  (C)  Y  II.  316-20  and  G  of  N  II.  73-76,  Y  II.  336-45  and  G  of  N  II.  85-96,  (C)  Y  II. 
346-50  and  G  of  N  U.  105-8,  Y  11.  373-76  and  G  of  N  II.  113-16,  Y  I.  502  and  G  of  N  1.  25;  (3)  between 
Y  PI.  XXXIII  and  G  of  N:  Y  I.  91  and  G  of  N  1.  21,  (C)  Y  11.  113-19  and  G  of  N  II.  13-20,  (C)  Y  II.  88. 
134  and  G  of  N  11.  58-60,  (C)  Y  II.  169-70  and  G  of  N  11.  133-36,  (C)  Y  11.  183-84  and  G  of  N  II.  139-44, 
(C)  Y  11.  243-52  and  G  of  N  II.  161-64,  (C)  Y  II.  301-6  and  G  of  N  II.  221-24.  (C)  Y  11.  315-19  and  G  of  N 
11.  309-12,  (C)  Y  II.  320-24  and  G  of  N  II.  313-14,  Y  II.  325-26  and  G  of  N  II.  315-17,  322-23.  (C)  refers 
to  passages  called  attention  to  by  Mr.  Craigie,  op.  cit.  Furniiall  Miscellany  52-61. 

«  The  1415  Biirton  list  is  printed  by: 
Drake,  Eboracum  app.  xxx 
Sharp,  Coventry  Mysteries  135 
Marriott,  Collection  of  English  Miracle  Plays  xviii 
Smith,  York  Mystery  Plays  intro.  xix  f. 
Pollard,  English  Miracle  Plays,  Moralities,  and  Interludes. 
(For  the  sake  of  convenience,  I  shall  refer  only  to  Miss  Smith's  copy  of  the  1415  Burton  list,  hereafter.) 

This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  separation  of  the  two  cycles  had  taken  place  some  time  between 
1415  and  the  entry  into  the  Towneley  manuscript,  about  the  middle  of  the  century.  (See  Pollard,  op.  cit. 
EETSES  71:intro.  x.xvii.)  The  discrepancy,  in  the  two  cycles,  of  the  division  into  separate  plays,  however, 
makes  it  seem  probable  that  the  separation  took  place  before  1415.  (See  below,  ch.  V,  p.  107.)  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  Burton's  list  represents  the  true  situation  as  it  existed  in  1415,  only  in  regard  to 
the  separation  of  plays  and  their  assignment  to  crafts,  but  that  in  many  cases,  the  description  given  the 
characters  and  chief  events  refers  to  a  situation  existing  at  an  earlier  period. 

'  Miss  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxiv,  in  speaking  of  Play  XXX,  thought  it  "curious  that  no  mention  is  made 
by  Burton  of  dame  Percula,  Pilate's  wife,  nor  of  any  of  the  personages  in  the  first  scenes,  which  must 
have  been,"  she  says,  "prominent  and  popular." 

8  Burton  list.  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xix  f.  The  description  of  the  play,  as  found  here,  (p.  xxiii)  is:  Jesus, 
Pilatus,  Anna,  Cayphas,  duo  consiliarii  et  iiij"  ludei  accusanles  Jesum. 


32  MARIE   C.  LYLE 


seems  possible  to  conclude  that  Burton's  list  describes  an  older  play  based  only  upon 
material  from  the  Northern  Passion,  and  that  the  extant  version  of  the  York  play 
represents  a  later  play,  showing  a  combination  of  events  gained  from  both  sources." 

Play  XXXIII,  entitled  the  Second  Trial  and  Judgment  before  Pilate,  the  greater 
part  of  which  is  undoubtedly  based  upon  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  also  differs  from 
the  description  given  it  in  Burton's  list.  The  play,  as  we  now  have  it,  is  made  up  of 
the  following  incidents:  (1)  Pilate's  boasting  of  his  power,  (2)  Jesus  sent  back  by 
Herod  with  his  message,  (3)  the  accusations  brought  against  Jesus,  (4)  the  bowing 
of  the  standards  when  Jesus  enters  the  hall  and  the  anger  of  the  Jews  because  of  it, 
(5)  the  holding  of  the  standards  by  the  four  strongest  men  in  the  realm,  and  in  spite 
of  their  strength,  the  bowing  again  of  the  standards,  (6)  the  deliverance  of  Barabbas 
and  the  Jew-s'  demand  for  Jesus'  condemnation,  (7)  the  scourging,  crowning,  and 
mocking  of  Jesus,  (8)  the  handwashing  scene,  (9)  the  condemnation.  Burton'"  de- 
scribes the  play  in  these  words:  Jesus,  Pilatus,  Cayphas,  Annas,  sex  milites  tenenies 
hastas  cum  vexillis,  et  alij  quattuor  ducentes  Jesum  ab  Herode  petentes  Baraban  dimitti 
et  Jesum  crucifigi,  et  ibidem  ligantes  et  flagellantes  eum,  ponentes  coronam  spineam 
super  caput  eius;  tres  milites  mittentes  sortem  super  vestem  Jesu.  The  absence  of  the 
incident  of  the  throwing  of  dice  for  the  clothing  of  Jesus  in  the  extant  play  is  evidence 
in  itself  that  Burton  described  a  different  play.  It  is  impossible  to  decide  whether 
Burton's  reference  to  the  six  soldiers  carrying  spears  and  ensigns  provides  for  the 
incident  of  the  bowing  of  the  standards  or  not,  but  because  of  the  detail  with  which 
the  incidents  of  this  play  are  described  by  Burton,  it  probably  does  not.  It  is  likely 
that  the  later  introduction  of  this  incident  crowded  out  the  incident  of  the  throwing 
of  dice,  since,  in  the  register,  the  latter  incident  has  been  divided  and  contracted  to 
a  few  lines  at  the  end  of  Plays  XXXIV  and  XXXV.  •  Moreover,  the  description  as 
oflFered  by  Burton  seems  to  refer  to  a  play  much  simpler  in  detail  and  one  which  fol- 
lows the  Northern  Passion  narrative  more  closely  than  the  extant  play  which  shows 
an  extensive  influence  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus. 

The  description  which  Burton  gives  of  Play  XXXVII,  the  Harrowing  of  Hell, 
does  not  correspond  to  the  present  play.  He  describes  the  play  thus:  Jesus  spolians 
infernum,  xij  spiritus,  [vj]  boni  et  vj  mali.^^  Obviously,  this  description  refers  to 
another  play,  since  there  is  no  mention  of  spirits  in  the  extant  version.  It  seems  diffi- 
cult to  believe  that  the  patriarchs  of  the  extant  play,  reciting  their  prophecies  as 
they  await  the  coming  of  Jesus,  or  the  devils  as  they  oppose  his  entrance,  could  be 
referred  to  as  "spirits";  and  for  that  matter,  the  number  of  patriarchs  and  devils 
does  not  correspond  to  the  number  required  in  the  list.  It  seems  probable,  then, 
that  the  description  given  by  Burton  refers  to  an  earlier  play,  differing  to  a  marked 
degree  from  the  extant  play,  the  incidents  and  phraseology  of  which  are  largely 
drawn  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus. 

The  Resurrection,  Play  XXXVIII,  as  described  by  Burton,  also  seems  to  refer 
to  a  simpler  play  than  that  of  the  extant  version.  Jesus  resurgens  de  sepulcro,  quatuor 
milites  armaii,  et  tres  Marie  lameniantes.  Pilatus,  Cayphas,  with  the  later  addition  of 
et  Anna.  Juvenis  sedens  ad  sepulcrum  indutus  albo,  loquens  mulieribus^-  is,  in  all  prob- 
ability, a  description  of  the  present  play  only  in  so  far  as  it  is  based  upon  the  Northern 
Passion.  No  mention  is  made  by  Burton  of  the  Centurion's  reproaches  against  the 
Jews,  nor  of  his  recital  of  the  overcasting  of  the  weather  at  the  time  of  Jesus'  death, 

•  Incidents  one,  two,  and  three,  having  no  basis  in  biblical  or  apocryphal  narratives,  are  to  be  regarded 
possibly  as  an  original  invention  on  the  part  of  the  playwright. 
>'  See  Burton  list.  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxv. 
"  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxvi. 
"  Loc.  cil. 


THE    YORK   AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  33 

given  so  much  prominence  at  the  beginning  of  the  extant  play.  This  material  is 
derived  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  and  if  it  had  been  included  in  the  earlier  play, 
it  seems  likely  that  Burton  would,  at  least,  have  included  the  name  of  the  Centurion 
in  the  list  of  characters.  Apparently,  its  omission  is  to  be  explained  only  upon  the 
ground  that  the  material  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  was  not  included  in  the  cycle 
at  the  time  of  its  formation. 

Since  the  addition  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  in  Play  XXIX,  the  Examina- 
tion before  Caiphas  and  Peter's  Denial,  did  not  necessitate  either  the  introduction  of 
an  extra  character  or  of  a  new  incident,  it  is  impossible  to  determine  whether  the 
play,  as  described  by  Burton,  refers  to  the  extant  version  or  to  an  earlier  play.  Bur- 
ton's description  is  too  meagre  in  detail  to  help  much:  Jesus,  Anna,  Cayphas.  et  iiij°'' 
Judei  percucientes  et  colaphizantes  Jesum;  Petrus,  mulier  accusans  Petrum,  et  Mal- 
chus.^^  The  play,  as  a  whole,  is  based  upon  the  Northern  Passion,  with  the  introduc- 
tion of  material  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  in  the  matter  of  additional  accusa- 
tions," thus  showing  a  similar  situation  to  that  existing  in  the  other  plays. 

As  already  noted,  Professor  Hulme  suggested  the  influence  of  the 
Gospel  of  Nicodemus  stanza  upon  the  Northern  Septenar  metre  in  the 
York  cycle  He  pointed  out  similarities  in  metrical  structure,  in  the  rhyme 
order,  ababababcdcd,  and  in  the  three  beat  measure  of  the  four  lines  of 
the  cauda}'^  Such  similarities,  however,  do  not  positively  establish  the 
probability  of  direct  influence,  but  they  may  be  regarded  as  contributory 
evidence  in  connection  with  numerous  cases  of  common  rhyme  series. ^^ 
I,  therefore,  submit  the  following  common  rhyme  series: 

(1)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between  Play 
XXXVII,  the  Harrowing  of  Hell,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus:^'' 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  15,  (as)sefite,  tente,  mente,  wenie;  G  of  N  84,  sent,  ment,  went,  {en)tent.  Y  22, 
{e)mang,  wrang;  G  of  N  43,  {o)mang,  wrang.  Y  2,  haue,  graiie;  G  of  N  69,  88,  haue, 
graue.  Y  2,  sone,  done;  G  of  N  37, is  55,  129,  sone,  done.  Y  24,  telle,  helle;  G  of  N 
128,  tell,  hell.  Y  7,  saide,  laide;  G  of  N  40,  63,  93,  124,  sayd,  layd.  Y  23,  mee,  be; 
G  of  N  28,  me,  be.  Y  5,  vndirstande,  lande,  walkand,  leuand;  G  of  N  100,  land,  vnder- 
stand,  walkand,  lyfand.  Y  22.  myght,  right;  G  of  N  115,  116,  142,  ryght,  myght.  Y  8, 
30,  myght,  hight,  sight,  light;  G  of  N  118,  myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyght. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  1,  trayne,  agayne;  G  of  N  16,  ogayne,  slayne,  trayne,  mayne.  Y  9,  paste,  faste; 
G  of  N  65,1'  kast,/a5/,  past,  last.  Y  16,  name,  same;  G  of  N  10,-"  blame,  same,  schame, 
name.     Y  9,  haue,  saue;  G  of  N  64,^1  saue,  graue,  haue,  straue.     Y  31,  trewe,  knewe; 

1'  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxiii. 

i«  Compare  especially  G  of  N  39-44  and  Y  33-40;  G  of  N  Add.  29-35  and  Y  40-45;  G  of  N  25-29  and 
Y  51-56. 

15  Hulme,  op.  cit.  EETSES  100:intro.  xviii,  finds  that  a  slight  difference  exists  in  the  measure  of  the  first 
eight  lines,  the  Nicodemus  having  four-stressed  lines  alternating  with  three-stressed  ones,  whereas  each 
of  the  York  lines  contains  four  stresses.     Such  a  difference,  however,  he  considers  of  minor  importance. 

'8  Davidson,  op.  cit.  137  ff.  establishes  the  probability  of  a  common  authorship  for  all  of  the  York 
plays  in  the  Northern  Septenar. 

1'  The  references  in  the  case  of  both  texts  are  to  the  strophe  numbers. 

■8  {•vn)done. 

"  Of.  also  G  of  N  112,  fast,  kast,  past,  last. 

21  Cf.  also  G  of  N  54,  name,  schame,  blame,  same. 

2'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  147  Add.,  saue,  haue,  graue,  staue. 


34  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

G  of  N  7,"  tre'v,  Ihesu,  new,  knew.  Y  28,  weste,  fesle;  G  of  N  53,  best,  threst,  west. 
Jest.  Y  25,  wende,  ende;  G  of  N  45  Add.,  frende,  wende,  fende,  ende.  Y  13,"  28,  werre, 
ferre;  G  of  N  142,  were,  here,  fere,  nere.  Y  27,  leere,  heere;  G  of  N  39,  lere,  manere, 
here,  here.  Y  11,  my ght,  fight;  G  of  N  \Z\,  fyght,  dyght,  myght,  rj^ght.  Y  22,  myght, 
right;  G  of  N  5,"  ryght,  myght,  syght,  dyght.  Y  2,  haue,  graue;  G  of  N  60,"  graue, 
have,  straue,  craue.  Y  7,  saide,  laide;  G  of  N  68,"^  aflfrayd,  payd,  layd,  sayd.  Y  21, 
hidde,  kidde;  G  of  N  6,"  byd,  kyd,  hyd,  dyd.  Y  33,  till,  fulfille;  G  of  N  123,  ill,  iyll, 
skyll,  fullfyll.  Y  3,  ill,  will;  G  of  N  19,=8  stjdl,  vntvll,  will,  ill.  Y  18,  ia)bide,  tyde; 
G  of  N  52,"  syde,  hj^de,  tyde,  byde.  Y  31,  vs,  pus;  G  of  N  31,3"  pus,  Ihesus,  vs,  bus. 
Y  17,  7}iore,  sore;  G  of  N  139  Add.,  sore,  {euer)more,  t)ore,  lore. 

(c)   The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XXXVII  is  140. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  31/140  of  all  in  Play  XXXVII  or  22 
per  cent. 

The  number  of  rhyming  words  agreeing  is  68  in  408  lines  of  Play  XXXVII  or 
1  in  6  lines. 

(2)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  II,  the  Creation  to  the  Fifth  Day,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhj^mes  are : 

Y  7,  so7ie,  done;  G  of  N  37,si  55, 129,  sone,  done.  Y  14,  sail,  all;  G  of  N  44, 134,  all,  sail. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  5,  he,  se;  G  of  N  19,^2  ^le,  se,  fre,  be.  Y  2,  forsake,  blake,  take,  wake,  sclake, 
make;  G  of  N  44,  slake,  sake,  make,  take;  G  of  N  84,  viake,  forsake,  wake,  take.  Y  4, 
pay,  day;  G  of  N  47,  pray,  day,  pay,  say.  Y  14,  sail,  all;  G  of  N  lOO,^^  (^.jth)  all,  thrall, 
sail,  bifall.  Y  7,  sone,  done;  G  of  N  36, 2*  mon,  so?i,  trone,  done.  Y  13,  (iov)thoght, 
brught,  (vn)  soght,  noght,  oght,  wrothe;  G  of  N  10, ^^  thoght,  noght,  broght,  wroght;  G  of  N 
23,  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght.  Y  1,  wroght,  soght;  G  of  N  23,^^  broght,  soght,  noght, 
wroght.  Y  7,  might,  bright,  syght,  wyght,  right,  dyght;  G  of  N  5^'  ryght,  myght,  syght, 
dyght;  G  of  N  98,  myght,  ryght,  wight,  syght.  Y  6,  byde,  wede,  {on)brede,  fede,  sede, 
lede;  G  of  N  9,  led,  wed,  fed,  bred.  Y  8,  assent,  went,  hent,  firmament,  sent,  entent; 
G  of  N  129,  went,  assent,  hent,  entent.  Y  4,  inene,  betwj-ne,  sene,  clene,  wyne,  bydene; 
G  of  N  92,  mene,  sene,  bidene,  wene. 

'-  Cf.  also  G  of  N  9,  {vn)treu'e,  knew,  hebrew,  Inoghe. 

S3  ware  instead  of  werre. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  92,  ryght,  hyght,  syght,  myght;  98,  myght,  ryght,  wight,  syght;  128,  myght,  wight, 
ryght,  hyght;  149  Add.,  knyght,  myght,  nyght,  right. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  64,  saue,  graue,  haue,  straue;  147  Add.,  saue,  haue,  graue,  staue. 

*•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  77,  sayd,  layd,  affrayd,  payd;  145  Add.,  sayde,  brayde,  mayde,  layde. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  120,  hyd,  kyd,  dyd,  bityd. 

29  Cf.  also  G  of  N  26,  vntyll,  ill,  will,  skyll;  31,  wyll,  ill,   skyll,  ^aretyll  83,  tyll.  will,  skyll,  ill. 

2'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  145  Add.,  tyde,  pride,  bide,  wyde. 

'»  Cf.  also  G  of  N  78,  pus,  vs,  Nichodemus,  Ihesus. 

"  {\n)done. 

•'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  50,  plente,  he,  he,  se;  64,  me,  tre,  se.  be;  68,  meneyhe,  se,  be,  Galile;  80,  me,  be,  se, 
pete;  135,  we,  preuete,  se,  be;  140,  bounte,  se,  parde,  be. 

*>  Cf.  also  G  of  N  114.  all,  bifall,  sail,  small;  132,  all,  sail,  call,  sail. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  138,  (als)sone,  trone,  done,  sone. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  48,  soght,  broght,  wroght,  thoght;  62,  thoght,  noght,  broght,  soght;  66,  thoght,  wroght, 
broght,  noght;  81,  soght,  noght,  broght,  wroght;  124,  soght,  wroght,  broght,  thoght;  140,  broght,  soght,  noght,  thoght. 

»«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  48,  soght,  broght,  wroght,  thoght;  81,  soght,  noght,  broght,  wroght;  124,  soght,  wroght, 
broght,  thoght. 

•'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  57.  ryght,  dyght,  syght,  myght. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  35 

(c)    The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  II  is  41. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  13/41  of  all  in  Play  II  or  31  per  cent. 

The  number  of  rhyming  words  agreeing  is  41  in  86  lines  of  Play  II  or  1  in  2  Unes. 

(3)  The   analysis   of   the   identical   rhyme   series   appearing   between 
Play  X,  Abrahatn's  Sacrifice  of  Isaac,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  20,  saye,  ay;  G  of  N  68,  say,  ay.     Y  14,  praye,  daye;  G  of  N  97,  pray,  day. 

Y  I6,fayne,  layne,  slayne,  agayne;  G  of  N  20,  slayne,  fayve,  layn,  ogayn.  Y  23,  sone, 
hone;  G  of  N  60,  bone,  sone.  Y  6,  sone,  done;  G  of  N  37,s8  55,  129,  sone,  done.  Y  22, 
wroglit,  ihoght;  G  of  N  146  Add.,  {he)thought,  wrought.  Y  19,  thoght,  noght,  soght, 
wroght;  G  of  N  66,  thoght,  wroght,  soght,  noght.  Y  1,  lyffe,  ivyffe;  G  of  N  16,  18  Add.," 
wyfe,  lyf.  Y  23,  till,  will;  G  of  N  12,  14,"  tyll,  will.  Y  9,  wille,  fulfille,  skille,  (Iper)tille; 
G  of  N  93,  will,  tyll,  skyll,  fullfyll.  Y  26,  dede,  stede;  G  of  N  27,  62,  112,  136,  stede, 
dede.  Y  2,  tree,  see,  be,  me;  G  of  N  64,  me,  tre,  se,  be.    Y  16,  be,  me;  G  of  N  28,  yne,  be. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  8,Vg,  me;  G  of  N  89,  he,  se,  we,  me.    Y  16,  he,  me;  G  of  N  19,"  me,  se,  fre,  he. 

Y  9,  Asse,  has;  G  of  N  70,  was,  pas,  ass,  has.  Y  14,  praye,  daye;  G  of  N  47,*^  p^ay, 
day,  pay,  say.  Y  20,  saye,  ay;  G  of  N  55,"  pray,  ay,  say,  day.  Y  27,  fayne,  agayne; 
G  of  N  20,"  slayne,  fayne,  layn,  ogayn.  Y  31,  agayne,  mayne;  G  of  N  16,  ogayne, 
slayne,  trayne,  mayne.  Y  4,  panne,  beganne;  G  of  N  27,*^  man,  pan,  bigan,  kan.  Y  25, 
stille,  tyll;  G  of  N  19,^«  styll,  {vn)tvll,  will,  ill.  Y  5,  ille,  will;  G  of  N  19,^^  styll,  vntyll, 
will,  ill.  Y  23,  till,  will;  G  of  N  19,"  styll,  ivn)tvll,  will,  ill.  Y  26,  dede,  stede;  G  of  N 
25,"  rede,  dede,  hatred,  stede.     Y  17,  fell,  telle;  G  of  N  2,^0  Gamaliel,  fell,  spell,  tell. 

Y  20,  dere,  nere;  G  of  N  63,"  fere,  nere,  dere,  here.  Y  11,  vnto,  doo;  G  of  N  35,  lo,  do, 
vnto,  bro.  Y  6,  sone,  done;  G  of  N  36,^2  mon,  5on,  trone,  done.  Y  22,  wroght,  thoght; 
G  of  N  10,53  thoght,  noght,  broght,  wroght.  Y  16,  desire,  fyre;  G  of  N  121,  syre,  fyre. 
Ire,  desyre.  Y  3,  dight,  sight;  G  of  N  5,"  ryght,  mvght,  syght,  dyght.  Y  21,  mercy,  dy; 
G  of  N  57,  dy,  sykerly,  by,  7nercy.    Y  1,  lyffe,  wyffe;  G  of  N  99,  wife,  ryfe,  dryue,  lyfe. 

Y  2,  ryve,  stryve;  G  of  N  131,  olyue,  stryue,  dryue,  ryue.  Y  5,  stryve,  life;  G  of  N  122, 
lyue,  stryue,  bilyue,  drj^ue. 

"  (vnjdone, 

"  (,he)lyue. 

«  (.vn)tyll. 

«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  centre,  be,  me,  degre;  80,  me,  be,  se,  pete. 

«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  102,  say,  pray,  ay,  day. 

«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  102.  say,  pray,  ay,  day;  110,  may,  oway,  say,  ay;  HI,  say,  verray,  oway,  ay;  114, 
ay,  say,  day,  ay. 

**  Cf.  also  G  of  N  95,  fayne,  ogayne,  frayne,  sayne. 

«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  37,  pan,  man,  can,  bygan;  59,  pan,  bigan,  ryghtwisman,  wan. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  49,  styll,  tyll,  skyll,  spyll. 

«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  26,  vntyll,  ill,  will,  skyll;  31,  uyll,  ill,  skyll,  ]?aretyll;  83.  tyll,  will,  skyll,  ill. 

«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  26,  (un)/y«,  ill,  will,  skyll;  31  wyll,  ill,  skyll,  Oare)/}'//;  88,  tyll,  will,  skyll,  ill;  93,  will, 
tyll,  skyll,  fullfyll. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  93,  rede,  dede,  stede,  godhede;  133,  rede,  stede,  ded,  godhede;  143,  kj-nrede,  ded, 
stede,  godhede. 

B9  Cf.  also  G  of  N  98,  tell,  (hi)fell,  hell,  (bi)fell;  117,  tell,  hell,  fell,  snell. 

61  Cf.  also  G  of  N  124,  clere,  dere,  here,  nere. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  138,  (als)sone,  trone,  done,  sone. 

M  Cf.  also  G  of  N  48,  soght,  broght,  wroght,  thoght;  66,  thoght,  wroght,  broght,  noght;  124, soght,  wroght, 
broght,  thoght. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  57,  ryght,  dyght,  syght,  myght;  60,  syght,  ryght,  knyght.  dyght. 


36  MARIE   C.  LYLE 


(c)   The  proportions  are : 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  X  is  121. 
The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  I^  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  36/121  of  all  in  Play  X  or  30  per  cent. 
The  number  of  rhyming  words  agreeing  is  80  in  380  lines  of  Play  X  or  1  in  5  — 
lines. 

(4)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  XI,  the  Pharaoh,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are: 

Y  14,  wille,  vntill;  G  of  N  14,  vntyll,  will.  Y  18,  tent,  sente,  wenie,  mente;  G  of  N 
84,  sent,  nient,  went,  {en)teni.  Y  32,  drede,  lede;  G  of  N  111,  drede,  lede.  Y  29,  be, 
tree,  me,  see;  G  of  N  64,  me,  tre,  se,  be.  Y  15,  31,  33,  me,  be;  G  of  N  28,  me,  be.  Y  24, 
sene,  mene;  G  of  N  76,  mene,  sene.  Y  15,  name,  blame,  same,  shame;  G  of  N  54,  name, 
schame,  blame,  same.  Y  29,  last,  past;  G  of  N  106,  last,  past.  Y  3,faste,  laste;  G  of  N 
94,  last,  fast.  Y  7,  awe,  drawe,  lawe,  sawe;  G  of  N  141,  aw,  law,  draw,  saw.  Y  1,  passe, 
hasse,  was,  asse;  G  of  N  70,  was,  pas,  ass,  has. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  8,  syde,  bide;  G  of  N  52,  syde,  hyde,  tyde,  byde.  Y  14,  wille,  vntill;  G  of  N  19" 
styll,  vtityll,  will,  ill.  Y  12,  will,  per-till;  G  of  N  31,  wyll,  ill,  skyll,  paretyll.  Y  11,  31, 
noght,  brought;  G  of  N  10,^^  thoght,  noght,  broght,  wroght.  Y  12,  newe,  trewe;  G  of  N 
7,*'  trew,  Ihesu,  new,  knew.  Y  31,  wende,  lende,  fende,  kende,  shende,  sende,  frende, 
fende;  G  of  N  43,  seiid,  lend;  G  of  N  138,  fend,  wend.  Y  34,  bede,  drede,  nede,  dede; 
G  of  N  42,  140,  dred,  nede.  Y  6,  sprede,  rede,  dede,  drede;  G  of  N  57,  dede,  dred.  Y 
15,  31,  33,  me,  be;  G  of  N  19,^'  me,  se,  fre,  be.  Y  34,  see,  wee;  G  of  N  135,  we,  preuete, 
se,  be.  Y  24,  sene,  mene;  G  of  N  11,^^  bene,  mene,  sene,  bidene.  Y  16,  dere,  here; 
G  of  N  29,*"  here,  were,  dere,  powere.  Y  30,  saide,  paied;  G  of  N  68,"  affrayd,  payd, 
layd,  sayd.    Y  18,  sake,  take;  G  of  N  44,*-  slake,  sake,  make,  take. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  num.ber  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XI  is  133. 
The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  30/133  of  all  in  Play  XI  or  22  per  cent. 
The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  72  in  406  lines  of  Play  XI  or  1  in  5  + 
lines. 

(5)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  XII,  the  Prophetic  Prologue,  and  the  Gospel  oj  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are: 

Y  7,  vs,  Jesus;  G  of  N  70,  118,  vs,  Ihesus.  Y  3,  thynge,  sprynge;  G  of  N  146, 
spryng,  thing.  Y  8,  Jewe,  knewe,  newe,  hewe;  G  of  N  4,  lew,  new,  knew,  hew.  Y  12, 
manere,  here;  G  of  N  106,  manere,  here.  Y  10,  was,  Judas,  passe,  has;  G  of  N  24," 
(Cayphas),  was,  pas,  has.     Y  11,  mast,  gast;  G  of  N  56,  mast,  gaste. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  26,  Tntyll,  ill,  will,  skyll. 

'•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  23,  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght;  62,  thoght,  noght,  broght,  soght;  66,  thoght,  wroght, 
broght,  noght;  81,  soght,  noght,  broght,  wroght;  140,  broght,  soght,  noght,  thoght. 
"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  18,  lew,  new,  trew,  rew. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  contre,  be,  me,  degre;  80  me,  be,  se,  pete. 
'•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  18,  sarizene,  bydene,  sene,  mene;  92,  mene,  sene,  bidene,  wene. 
'•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  63,  fere,  nere,  dere,  here;  113,  clere,  here,  Lucifere,  dere;  124,  clere,  dere,  here,  nere. 
•>  Cf.  also  G  of  N  77,  sayd,  layd,  affrayd,  payd. 
•'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  86,  spake,  sake,  make,  take. 
"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  77,  (Cayphas),  has,  was,  (o\ieT)pas;  94,  (Cayphas),  has,  pass,  was. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  37 


(b)  The  included  rhymes  are: 

Y  7,  vs,  Jesus;  G  of  N  31,"  t)us,  Ihesus,  vs,  bus.  Y  7,  morne,  borne;  G  of  N  30/* 
born,  biforn,  morn,  lorn.     Y  2,  mankyn,  syn;  G  of  N  16,  mankyn,  syn,  twyne,  blyn. 

Y  1,  lyght,  hyght;  G  of  N  118,  myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyght.    Y  12,  manere,  here;  G  of  N 
39,^°  lere,  manere,  here,  here.     Y  1,  space,  grace;  G  of  N  134,  grace,  space,  trace,  lace. 

Y  6,  9,  panne,  manne;  G  of  N  27,"  man,  pan,  bigan,  kan.     Y  11,  mast,  gast;  G  of  N 
147,  gast,  mast,  wast,  hast. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XII  is  47. 
The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  15/47  of  all  in  Play  XII  or  31  +  per  cent. 
The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  ZZ  in  144  lines  of  Play  XII  or  1  in  5  — 
lines. 

(6)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  in  Play  XV,  the  Shepherds, 
and  the  Gospel  oj  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  12,  be,  me;  G  of  N  28,  me,  be.  Y  11,  layde,  saide;  G  of  N  40,  63,  93,  124,  layd, 
sayd.  Y  12,  all,falle;  G  of  N  49,  71,  124,  125,  all,  fall.  Y  14,  swayne,  agayne;  G  of  N 
110,  swaytie,  agayne. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  2,  say,  day,  lay,  maye,  saye,  maye;  G  of  N  138,  say,  day,  lay,  may.  Y  11,  glade, 
stadde,  hadde;  G  of  N  133,  had,  glad,  bad,  stad.  Y  2,  borne,  by-forne;  G  of  N  20,^8  born, 
lorn,  sworn,  byforn.  Y  1,  lorne,  borne;  G  of  N  20, ^^  born,  lorn,  sworn,  byforn.  Y  12, 
be,  me;  G  of  N  19,'°  me,  se,  fre,  be.  Y  11,  layde,  saide;  G  of  N  68,"  affrayd,  payd, 
layd,  sayd.     Y  12,  all,  falle;  G  of  N  32,  all,  fall,  sail,  hall. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XV  is  26. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  11/26  of  all  in  Play  XV  or  42  per  cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  25  in  84  lines  of  Play  XV  or  1  in  3  +  lines. 

(7)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  XVII,  the  Magi,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are: 

Y  20,  broght,  soght;  G  of  N  13,  soght,  broght.  Y  16,  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght; 
G  of  N  23,"  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght.  Y  25,  dele,  wele;  G  of  N  72,  dele,  wele.  Y  14, 
heuen,  neven;  G  of  N  2,  heuen,  neuen.  Y  8,  scene,  meene;  G  of  N  76,  mene,  sene.  Y  15, 
marre,  werre;  G  of  N  137,  ware,  mare.  Y  19,  say,  lay,  praye,  way;  G  of  N  105,  say, 
pray,  lay,  way.    Y  13,  away,  lay,  saye,  pay;  G  of  N  72,  pay,  say,  lay,  oway. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  78,  J)us,  vs,  Nichodemus,  Ihesus. 

8'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  48,  biforne,  home,  morne,  lorne. 

««  Cf.  also  G  of  N  120,  manere,  here,  fere,  powere;  144,  here,  manere,  powere,  yhere. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  37,  pan,  man,  can,  bygan. 

68  Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  horn,  biforn,  morn,  lorn;  48,  hiforne,  home,  morne,  lorne. 

•»  Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  born,  biforn,  morn,  lorn;  48,  biforne,  borne,  morne,  lorne. 

'«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  contre,  be,  me,  degre;  80,  me,  be,  se,  pete. 

'»  Cf.  also  G  of  N  77,  sayd,  layd,  affrayd,  payd;  145  Add.,  sayde,  brayde,  mayde,  layde. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  81,  soght,  noght,  broght,  wroght. 


38  MARIE   C.  LYLE 


(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  11,  was,  passe;  G  of  N  21,"  was,  pas,  Cayphas,  was.  Y  17,  say,  may;  G  of  N 
5,'*  way,  ^a^-,  lay,  may,  pray,  dray.  Y  1,  saye,  waye;  G  of  N  5,"  way,  say,  lay,  may, 
pray,  dray.     Y  19,  say,  lay,  praye,  way;  G  of  N  5,  way,  say,  lay,  maj^  pray,  dray. 

Y  19,  stande,  hande;  G  of  N  11,"''  land,  hand,  gleterand,  stand.  Y  1,  saff,  haue;  G  of 
N  64,'"  saue,  graue,  haue,  straue.     Y  27,  centre,  be;  G  of  N  30,  contre,  be,  me,  degre. 

Y  3,  see,  bee;  G  of  N  19,"*  me,  se,  ire,  be.  Y  8,  seene,  meene;  G  of  N  11,"^  bene,  mene, 
sene,  bidene.  Y  16,  saide,  paide;  G  of  N  68,5"  affrayd,  payd,  layd,  sayd.  Y  15,  marre, 
werre;  G  of  N  14,"  sw^are,  mare,  ware,  hare.  Y  14,  name,  same;  G  of  N  10, ^^  blame, 
same,  schame,  name.     Y  20,  broght,  soght;  G  of  N  23,^3  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght. 

Y  7,  morne,  borne;  Y  9,  byforne,  borne;  Y  13,  borne,  lorne;  Y  15,  beforne,  lorne;  Y  19, 
home,  morne;  G  of  N  30,**  born,  biforn,  morn,  lorn.  Y  22,  wise,  price;  G  of  N  106, 
Paradyse,  wyse,  ryse,  pryse.  Y  8,  stille,  ill;  G  of  N  19,  styll,  vntyll,  will,  ill.  Y  6, 
skyll,  wille;  G  of  N  26,85  vntyll,  ill,  will,  skyll.  Y  26,  myglit,  knyght;  G  of  N  149  Add., 
knyght,  myght,  nyght,  right.  Y  14,  hetien,  neven;  G  of  N  33,  seuen,  neuen,  heuen, 
euen. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XVII  is  109. 

The  number  of  rhj'me  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  31/109  of  all  in  Play  XVII  or  28+  per 
cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  70  in  336  lines  of  Play  XVII  or  1  in  4  + 
lines. 

(8)  The   analysis   of   the   identical   rhyme   series   appearing   between 
Play  XX,  the  Doctors,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 
(a)  The  identical  rh^^mes  are: 

Y  21,  Jesus,  vs;  G  of  N  70,  118,  Ihesus,  vs.  Y  2,  done,  sone;  G  of  N  37, *«  55,  129, 
done,  sone.  Y  23,  wiffe,  liff;  G  of  N  16,  18  Add.,"  150  Add.,  wyfe,  lyf.  Y  14,  men, 
kene,  then,  ten;  G  of  N  144,  tett,  pen,  men,  ken.    Y  8,  yhe,  see;  G  of  N  18,  139,  he,  se. 

Y  10,  large,  charge;  G  of  N  86,  charge,  large.  Y  20,  saye,  ay;  G  of  N  68,  say,  ay.  Y  7, 
laye,  saye;  G  of  N  71,  say,  lay. 

"'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  24,  Cayphas,  was,  pas,  has;  70,  -was,  pas,  ass,  has;  77,  Cayphas,  has,  was,  (o\iet)pas; 
79,  helyas,  was,  pas,  has;  94,  Cayphas,  has,  pass,  was;  108,  Sathanas,  was.  pas,  has. 

'♦  Cf.  also  G  of  N  17,  say,  may,  lay,  oway;  41,  lay,  say,  way,  may;  85,  day,  way,  say,  may;  110.  may, 
oway,  say,  ay;  138,  say,  day,  lay,  may. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  17,  say,  may.  lay,  oway;  72,  pay,  say,  lay,  (o)way;  76,  lay,  ay,  say,  {o)way;  83.  pray, 
say,  {o)way,  pay;  85,  day,  way,  say,  may;  89,  pray,  lay,  say,  {o)way;  110,  may,  {o)way,  say,  ay. 

'•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  14.  hand,  land,  stand,  hand;  88,  hand,  stand,  lyfand,  vnderstand. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  147  Add.,  saue,  haue,  graue,  staue. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  50.  plente,  he,  be,  se;  64,  me,  tre,  se,  be;  68,  meneyhe,  se,  be,  Galile;  80,  me,  be,  se,  pete; 
135,  we,  preuete,  se,  be;  140,  bounte,  se,  parde,  be. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  92,  mene,  sene,  bidene,  wene. 

">  Cf.  also  G  of  N  77,  sayd,  layd,  affrayd,  payd. 

91  Cf.  also  G  of  N  21,  mare,  sware,  spare,  ware;  59.  ware,  fare,  sare,  mare;  78.  ware,  mare,  are,  are. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  54,  name,  schame,  blame,  same. 

MCf.  also  G  of  N  48,  soght,  broght,  wroght,  thoght;  62,  thoght,  noght,  broght,  soght;  81,  soght,  noght, 
broght,  wroght;  124,  soght,  wroght,  broght,  thoght;  140,  broght,  soght,  noght,  thoght. 

M  Cf.  also  G  of  N  48,  biforne,  borne,  morne,  lorne. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  31,  wyll,  ill,  skyll,  Jjaretyll;  83.  tyll,  will,  skyll,  ill;  93,  will,  tyll,  skyll,  fullfyll. 

*•  (vn)done. 

»'  (be);y«e. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  39 


(b)  The  included  rhymes  are: 

Y  12,  brede,  rede;  G  of  N  6,  rede,  dede,  brede,  wede.  Y  20,  saye,  ay;  G  of  N  55," 
pray,  ay,  say,  day.  Y  7,  laye,  saye;  G  of  N  5,^"  way,  say,  lay,  may,  pray,  dray.  Y  1, 
maye,  waye;  G  of  N  5,^"  way,  say,  lay,  may,  pray,  dray.  Y  17,  spare,  {■ao)more;  G  of 
N  21,  mare,  sware,  spare,  ware.     Y  21,  Jesus,  vs;  G  of  N  31,°^  Jjus,  Ihesus,  vs,  bus. 

Y  8,  wrought,  noght;  G  of  N  10, ^^  thoght,  noght,  broght,  wroght.  Y  2,  done,  sone;  G 
of  N  36,33  mon,  so7i,  trone,  done.  Y  24,  tyde,  bide;  G  of  N  52, ^^  syde,  hyde,  tyde, 
byde.  Y  23,  wife,  Uff;  G  of  N  99,  wife,  ryfe,  dryue,  lyfe.  Y  13,  by,  sekirly;  G  of  N 
57,  dy,  sykerly,  by,  mercy.     Y  11,  mene,  bene;  G  of  N  11,   bene,   mene,   sene,    bidene. 

Y  7,  lere,  here;  G  of  N  39,  lere,  manere,  here,  here. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XX  is  96. 
The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  21/96  of  all  in  Play  XX  or  21  per  cent. 
The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  44  in  288  lines  of  Play  XX  or  1  in  6  + 
lines. 

(9)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  XXIII,  the  Transfiguration,  and  the  Gospel  oj  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  12,  no^t,  wrought,  brought,  sought;  G  of  N  23,  81,  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght. 

Y  11,  bonne,  sonne;  G  of  N  60,  bone,  sone.  Y  6,  wyffe,  Uff;  G  of  N  16,  18  Add.,^*  150 
Add.,  wyfe,  lyf.  Y  7,  sight,  myght;  G  of  N  89,  119,  myght,  syght.  Y  6,  witnesse,  is; 
G  of  N  135,  147,  es,  witnes.  Y  14,  sende,  lende;  G  of  N  43,  send,  lend.  Y  18,  stede,  dede; 
G  of  N  27,  62,  112,  136,  stede,  dede.  Y  12,  helle,  tell;  G  of  N  128,  tell,  hell.  Y  20,  me, 
be;  G  of  N  28,  me,  be. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  6,  wyffe,  Uff;  G  of  N  99,  wife,  ryfe,  dryue,  lyfe.  Y  1,  sight,  light;  G  of  N  118, 
myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyght.    Y  7,  sight,  myght;  G  of  N  5,3^ryght,  myght,  syght,  dyght. 

Y  10,  dight,fyght;  G  of  N  131,fyght,  dyght,  myght,  ryght.  Y  19,  sight,  wighte;  G  of  N 
98,  myght,  ryght,  wight,  syght.  Y  11,  blys,  mys;  Y  15,  his,  blisse;  G  of  N  107,  mys, 
blys,  his,  Iwys.  Y  6,  witnesse,  is;  G  of  N  143,  witnes,  es,  halynes,  les.  Y  14,  sende, 
lende;  G  of  N  104,  hend,  lend,  send,  end.  Y  18,  stede,  dede;  G  of  N  25,"  rede,  dede, 
hatred,  stede.  Y  17,  dene,  sene;  G  of  N  61,'^  dene,  bene,  tene,  sene.  Y  13,  pe,  be; 
G  of  N  125,  pe,  be,  se,  pete.    Y  20,  me,  be;  G  of  N  19,9^  me,  se,  fre,  be.    Y  19,  pritdte, 

88  Cf.  also  G  of  N  102,  say,  pray,  ay,  day;  110,  may,  oway,  say,  ay;  111,  say,  verray,  oway,  ay;  134,  ay, 
say,  may,  way. 

8'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  17,  say,  may,  lay,  oway;  41,  lay,  say,  way,  may;  42,  Jjai,  allway,  lay,  say;  72,  pay, 
say,  lay,  oway;  89,  pray,  lay,  say,  oway;  105,  say,  pray,  lay,  way;  114,  lay,  say,  day,  ay;  138,  say,  day,  lay, 
may;  146  Add.,  say,  play,  lay,  day. 

">  Cf.  also  G  of  N  17,  say,  may,  lay,  {o)way;  41,  lay,  say,  way,  may;  85,  day,  way,  say,  may;  110,  may, 
6)way,  say,  ay. 

'»  Cf.  also  G  of  N  78,  J>us,  vs,  Nichodemus,  Ihesus. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  23,  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght;  66,  thoght,  wroght,  broght,  noght;  81,  soght,  noght, 
broght,  wroght. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  138,  alssone,  trone,  done,  sone. 

'*  Cf.  also  G  of  N  145  Add.,  tyde,  pride,  bide,  wyde. 

"  {he)lyue. 

»•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  92,  ryght,  hyght,  syght,  myght;  118,  myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyght. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  58,  rede,  ded,  red,  stede;  93,  rede,  dede,  stede,  godhede;  133,  rede,  stede,  ded,  godhede; 
143,  kynred,  ded,  stede,  godhede. 

"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  119,  bene,  clene,  sene,  kene. 

»» Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  contre,  be,  me,  degre;  80,  me,  be,  se,  pete. 


40  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

see;  G  of  N  135,  we,  pretiete,  se,  be.    Y  17,  clere,  seere;  G  of  N  130,  sere,  clere,  were,  here. 

Y  9,  18,  name,  same;  G  of  N  10,1"°  blame,  same,  schame,  name. 

(c)   The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XXIII  is  80. 
The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  25/80  of  all  in  Play  XXIII  or  31  per  cent. 
The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  52  in  240  lines  of  Play  XXIII  or  1  in  4  + 
lines. 

(10)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  XXIV,  the  Woman  Taken  in  Adultery  and  the  Raising  of  Lazarus,  and 
the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  13,  togedir,  pedir;  G  of  N  131,  togyder,  pider.  Y  19,  right,  sight;  G  of  N  15,  74, 
syght,  {vp)ryght.  Y  10,  11,  dede,  stede;  G  of  N  27,  62,  112,  136,  stede,  dede.  Y  19,  me, 
be;  G  of  N  28,  me,  be.     Y  12,  kast,  last,  past,  fast;  G  of  N  65, ^oi  kast,  fast,  past,  last. 

Y  2,  hande,  fande;  G  of  N  143,  hand,  f and. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  12,  more,  therfore;  G  of  N  151  Add.,  perefore,  lore,  (euer)more,  sore.  Y  18, 
myght,  light;  G  of  N  118,  myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyght.  Y  5,  tyde,  hyde,  {a)bide,  (gap); 
G  of  N  52,  syde,  hyde,  tyde,  byde.  Y  12,  frende,  wende;  G  of  N  45  Add.,  frende,  wende, 
fende,  ende.  Y  1,  3,  synne,  blynne;  G  of  N  16, ^^^  mankyn,  syn,  twyne,  blyn.  Y  7, 
feere,  manere;  G  of  N  120,^°^  manere,  here,  fere,  powere.  Y  8,  sene,  dene;  G  of  N  61,^"* 
dene,  bene,  tene,  sene.  Y  4,  rede,  dede;  G  of  N  6,^°^  rede,  dede,  brede,  wede.  Y  10,  11, 
dede,  stede;  G  of  N  25,"^  rede,  dede,  hatred,  stede.  Y  17,  sent,  monument;  G  of  N  61,1"^ 
entent,  monument,  assent,  sent.  Y  9,  15,  see,  free;  G  of  N  19,  me,  se,  fre,  be.  Y  19, 
me,  be;  G  of  N  19,^"^  me,  se,  fre,  be.  Y  8,  same,  blame;  Y  7,  name,  schame;  G  of  N  10,^"' 
blame,  same,  schame,  name.    Y  14,  may,  away;  G  of  N  17,""  say,  may,  lay,  oway. 

(c)  The  proportions  are : 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XXIV  is  70. 
The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  24/70  of  all  in  Play  XXIV  or  34  per  cent. 
The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  51  in  209  lines  of  Play  XXIV  or  1  in  4 
lines. 

(11)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  XXVII,  the  Last  Supper,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

lo"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  54,  name,  schame,  blame,  same. 

101  Cf.  also  G  of  N  112,  fast,  kast,  past,  last. 

1*2  Cf.  also  G  of  N  75,  blyn,  in,  bigyn,  syn;  123,  blyn,  syn,  herein,  wyn. 

1"'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  149  Add.,  manere,  were,  powere,  yfere. 

iM  Cf.  also  G  of  N  119,  bene,  dene,  sene,  kene. 

•"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  25,  rede,  dede.  hatred,  stede;  58,  rede,  ded,  red,  stede;  93,  rede,  dede,  stede,  godhede; 
133,  rede,  stede,  ded,  godhede. 

iM  Cf.  also  G  of  N  58,  rede,  ded,  red,  stede;  93,  rede,  dede,  stede,  godhede;  133,  rede,  stede,  ded,  godhede; 
143,  kynred,  ded,  stede,  godhede. 

•"  Cf .  also  G  of  N  67,  monument,  went,  sent,  tent. 

iM  Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  contre,  be,  me,  degre;  80,  me,  be,  se,  pete. 

1"'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  54,  name,  schame,  blame,  same. 

•1"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  110,  may,  oway,  say,  ay. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  41 


(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  4,  sone,  done;  G  of  N  37,"i  55,  129,  sone,  done.  Y  16,  me,  bee;  G  of  N  28,  me, 
be.  Y  14,  d-well,  Israeli;  G  of  N  76,  dwell,  Israel.  Y  11,  steede,  dede;  G  of  N  27,  62, 
112,  136,  stede,  dede.  Y  9,  paste,  laste;  G  of  N  106,  last,  past.  Y  3,  all,  call,  small, 
befall;  G  of  N  58,  all,  bifall,  call,  small. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  4,  sone,  done;  G  of  N  36, "^  mon,  son,  trone,  done.  Y  15,  strife,  liff;  G  of  N 
122,  lyue,  stryue,  bilj'ue,  dryue.  Y  7,  (be)/y(ie,  bide;  G  of  N  52, "^  sj-de,  hyde,  tyde, 
byde.  Y  16,  me,  bee;  G  of  N  19,"*  me,  se,  fre,  be.  Y  4,  see,  pee;  G  of  N  125,  pe,  be,  se, 
pete.  Y  14,  divell,  Israeli;  G  of  N  108,  hell,  dwell,  Israel,  dwell.  Y  11,  steede,  dede; 
G  of  N  25,"=  rede,  dede,  hatred,  stede.  Y  11,  lende,  wende;  G  of  N  40,  hend,  lend,  kend, 
wend.  Y  6,  trewe,  newe;  G  of  N  7,"^  trew,  Ihesu,  new,  knew.  Y  9,  paste,  laste;  G  of  N 
65,"'^  kast,  fast,  past,  last.     Y  1,  has,  paas;  G  of  N  24, "^  Caj-phas,  was,  pas,  has. 

Y  15,  haue,  saue;  G  of  N  64,"^  saue,  graue,  haue,  straue. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rh^^me  series  in  Play  XXVII  is  62. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  18/62  of  all  in  Play  XXVII  or  29  —  per 
cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  38  in  187  lines  of  Play  XXVII  or  1  in 
5  lines. 

(12)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Play  XXXV,  the  Crucifixion,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  6,  S07ie,  done;  G  of  N  37,^-°  55,  129,  sone,  done.  Y  10,  doo,  too;  G  of  N  33,  (vn)/o, 
do.  Y  16,  side,  {a)bide,  tyde,  hyde;  G  of  N  52,  syde,  hyde,  tyde,  byde.  Y  13,  me,  see; 
G  of  N  132,  me,  se.  Y  23,  certayne,  agayne;  G  of  N  151  Add.,  agayfie,  certayne.  Y  2, 
all,  schall;  G  of  N  44,  134,  all,  sail.  Y  18,  caste,  laste,  faste,  paste;  G  of  N  112,  fast, 
kast,  past,  last. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  6,  sone,  done;  G  of  N  36,^-^  mon,  son,  trone,  done.  Y  24,  mone,  sone;  G  of  N  36, 
mon,  son,  trone,  done.    Y  22,  noght,  sought;  G  of  N  23, i-^  broght,  soght,  noght,  wroght. 

Y  1,  loo,  doo;  G  of  N  35,  lo,  do,  vnto,  bro.    Y  24,  stille,  wille;  G  of  N  19,  styll,  vntvll, 
will,  ill.     Y  1,  fullfille,  tille;  G  of  N  93, '-^  will,  tyll,  skyll,  fullfyll.    Y  14,  light,  hi'ght; 

"1  (vn)dowe. 

"2  C£.  also  G  of  N  138,  alssone,  trone,  done,  sone. 

"'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  145  Add.,  tyde,  pride,  bide,  wyde. 

1'*  Cf.  also  G  of  N  30,  contra,  be,  me,  degre;  64,  me,  tre,  se,  be;  80,  me,  be,  se,  pete. 

1"  58,  rede,  ded,  red,  stede;  93,  rede,  dede,  stede,  godhede;  133,  rede,  slede,  ded,  godhede;  143,  kynred, 
ded,  slede,  godhede. 

•'6  Cf.  also  G  of  N  18,  lew,  ne-d.-,  trew,  rew. 

»7  Cf.  also  G  of  N  112,  fast,  kast,  past,  last. 

"8  Cf.  also  G  of  N  70,  was,  pas,  ass,  has;  77,  Cayphas,  has,  was,  (ouer)/>os;  79,  helyas,  was,  pas,  has; 
94,  Cayphas,  has,  pass,  was;  108,  Sathanas,  was,  pas,  has. 

1"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  147  Add.,  saue,  haue,  graue,  staue. 

""  {vn)done. 

121  Cf.  also  G  of  N  138,  alssone,  trone,  done,  sone. 

>"  Cf.  also  G  of  N  62,  thoght,  noght,  broght,  soghl;  81,  soght,  noght,  broght,  wroght;  140,  broght,  soght, 
noght,  thoght. 

i«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  123,  ill.  tyll,  skyll,  fullfyll. 


42  MARIE    C.  LYLE 

G  of  N  118,  myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyghi.  Y  9,  blynne,  ynne;  G  of  N  75,  blyn,  in,  bigyn, 
syn.  Y  7,fesie,  teste;  G  of  N  53,  best,  threst,  west,  fest.  Y  19,  felle,  telle;  G  of  N  2^"-* 
Gamaliel,  fell,  spell,  tell.  Y  5,fende,  ende;  G  of  N  45  Add.,  frende,  wende,fefide,  ende. 
Y  13,  me,  see;  G  of  N  19,^-^  tne,  se,  fre,  be.  Y  17,  we,  bee;  G  of  N  71,i-^  we,  cete,  Galile, 
be.  Y  2,  all,  schall;  G  of  N  lOO.i"  (with)a//,  thrall,  sail,  bifall.  Y  20,  smale,  all;  G  of 
N  26,128  hall,  all,  small,  call. 

(c)   The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XXXV  is  100. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  22/100  of  all  in  Play  XXXV  or  22  per 
cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  48  in  300  lines  of  Play  XXXV  or  1  in 
6+  lines. 

(13)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  of  Play  XLIV,  the 
Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are: 

Y  19,  botine,  sone;  G  of  N  60,  bone,  sone.  Y  10,  myght,  light,  highte,  sight;  G  of  N 
118,  myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyght.  Y  17,  myght,  sight;  G  of  N  89,  119,  myght,  syght.  Y  5, 
hyde,  tyde,  bide,  {a)side;  G  of  N  52,  syde,  hyde,  tyde,  byde.  Y  19,  be,  me;  G  of  N  28, 
me,  be.  Y  6,  hende,  sende;  G  of  N  56,  hend,  send.  Y  15,  drede,  nede;  G  of  N  42,  140, 
dred,  nede.  Y  12,  heuyn,euyn;  G  of  N  84,  99,  hetien,  euen.  Y  11,  emang,  sange;  G  of 
N  8,  sang,  omang. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  5,  till,  still;  G  of  N  19,12!)  ^tyll,  {vn)tyll,  will,  ill.  Y  17,  myght,  sight;  G  of  N  5,i3o 
ryght,  myght,  syght,  dyght.  Y  2,  wise,  avise;  G  of  N  141,  avyse,  prophecyse,  clergyse, 
wyse.  Y  19,  be,  me;  G  of  N  80,  me,  he,  se,  pete.  Y  7,  wente,  sente;  G  of  N  67,i'i  monu- 
ment, went,  sent,  tent.  Y  15,  drede,  nede;  G  of  N  110,  forbede,  nede,  drede,  lede.  Y  12, 
heuyn,  euyn;  G  of  N  33,  seuen,  neuen,  heuen,  euen.  Y  6,  haue,  saue;  G  of  N  64, i'-  saue, 
graue,  haue,  straue. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Play  XLIV  is  71. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  17/71  of  all  in  Play  XLIV  or  24—  per 
cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  38  in  224  lines  of  Play  XLIV  or  1  in  6 
lines. 

(14)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series^^^  appearing  between 
the  Towneley  Conspiracio  (the  Northern  Septenar  strophes)  and  the 
Gospel  of  Nicodemus: 

«*  Cf.  also  G  of  N  117,  tell.  htW,  jell,  snell;  ISO  Add..  Ulle,  speWe,  felle,  elle. 
'5«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  80.  me,  be.  se,  pete;  89,  he.  se,  we,  me. 
'*•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  101,  we,  he,  gle,  be;  135.  we,  preuete.  se,  be. 
«'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  114,  all,  bifall,  sail,  small;  132,  all,  sail,  call.  aall. 
»»  Cf.  also  G  of  N  114,  all,  bifall.  sail,  small. 
«•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  49.  styll,  tyll,  skyll,  spyll.  * 

"0  Cf.  also  G  of  N  92,  ryght.  hyght,  syght,  myght;  118.  myght,\yght,  syght,  hyght. 
"'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  76,  hent,  present,  sent,  went;  84,  sent,  ment.  went,  entent. 
"2  Cf.  also  G  of  N  147  Add.,  saue,  haue,  graue,  staue. 

'»» I  have  retained  Mr.  Pollard's  numbering  although  it  does  not  correspond  to  the  Northern  Septenar 
form. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  43 


(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

T  23,  wyll,  tyll;  G  of  N  12,  14,"^  tyll,  will.  T  10,  present,  assent;  G  of  N  31,  pres- 
ent, assent.  T  28,  ken,  men,  then,  ten;  G  of  N  144,  ten,  pen,  men,  ken.  T  19,  els, 
dwelles,  mels,  tels;  G  of  N  35,  dwelles,  telles,  melles,  elles.  T  27,  avayll,  counsayll;  G  of 
N  149  Add.,  availe,  consaile.  T  28,  take,  wake,  sake,  make;  G  of  N  84,  make,  (ioT)sake, 
wake,  take.    T  16,  say,  day;  G  of  N  23,  28,  57,  say,  day. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

T  31,  skyll,  will;  G  of  N  26,i«  vntyll,  ill,  will,  skyll.  T  45,  hight,  myght;  G  of  N 
92,136  ryght,  hyght,  syght,  myght.  T  25,  went,  assent;  G  of  N  129,  went,  assent,  hent, 
entent.  T  Z3,  we,  be;  G  of  N  71, "7  we,  cete,  Galile,  be.  T  15,  thus,  vs;  G  of  N  31,"8  pus, 
Ihesus,  vs,  bus.  T  41,  seyn,  teyn;  G  of  N  45,  sene,  wene,  tene,  bene.  T  39,  wroght, 
broght;  G  of  N  48,  soght,  broght,  wroght,  thoght.  T  25,  kyd,  byd;  G  of  N  6,  byd,  kyd, 
hyd,  dyd.  T  37,  yll,  styll;  G  of  N  19,  5^3^//,  vntyll,  will,  ill.  T  ii,  say,  pay;  G  of  N 
47,133  pray,  day,  pay,  say.    T  47,  glad,  had;  G  of  N  133,  had,  glad,  bad,  stad. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  the  Towneley  play  is  85. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  G  of  N  is  585. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  18/85  of  all  in  the  Towneley  play  or  21  + 
per  cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  42  in  264  lines  of  the  Towneley  play  or 
1  in  6  lines. 

The  preceding  analysis  indicates  that  practically  the  same  relationship, 
as  regards  the  presence  of  identical  rhymes,  exists  in  the  Gospel  oj  Nicodemus 
and  each  of  the  York  plays  composed  in  the  Northern  Septenar  form.  The 
Harr Giving  of  Hell,  clearly  a  revised  play  because  of  the  different  descrip- 
tion accorded  it  by  Burton  in  the  list,^^°  and  containing  as  it  does,  both  the 
subject-matter  and  the  stanzaic  form  of  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  seems  to 
be  a  fair  standard  by  which  to  compare  the  other  plays.  In  the  proportion 
of  rhyme  series,  only  two  plays  (XI  and  XX)  fall  below  22  per  cent,  the 
standard  set  by  the  Harrowing  of  Hell,  and  one  play  (XV)  almost  doubles 
this  proportion.  In  the  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  words,  no  play  falls 
below  the  standard.  The  Northern  Septenar  strophes  in  the  Towneley 
Conspiracio  also  show  a  similar  influence. 

Since  the  material  derived  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  represents  a 
later  addition  to  the  York  cycle,  the  adoption  of  its  metrical  form  is  like- 
wise to  be  regarded  as  a  later  innovation.  The  Harrowing  of  Hell,  which 
combines  both  the  subject-matter  and  the  metre  of  the  source,  was 
probably  one  of  the  first  plays  revised.  Three  other  plays,  XXIX,  XXX, 
XXXIII,  showing  the  influence  of  Nicodemus  material,  were    probably 

1"  {vn)tyll. 

"»5  Cf.  also  G  of  N  31,  wyll,  ill,  skyll,  Jjaretyll;  83,  tyll,  will,  skyll,  ill;  93,  will,  tyll,  skyll,  fullfyll. 

"»  Cf.  also  G  of  N  118,  myght,  lyght,  syght,  hyght;  128,  myght,  wight,  ryght,  hyght. 

"'  Cf.  also  G  of  N  101,  we,  he.  gle,  be;  135,  we,  preuete,  se,  be. 

i«  Cf.  also  G  of  N  78,  pus,  vs,  Nichodemus,  Ihesus. 

"•  Cf.  also  G  of  N  72,  pay,  say,  lay,  oway;  83,  pray,  say,  oway,  pay. 

'••  See  Burton  list,  Smith,  op.  cit.  intro.  xxvi. 


44  MARIE  C.  LYLE 

originally  composed  in  the  Northern  Septenar,  and  subsequently  altered 
to  their  present  metrical  forms. ^''^  The  great  number  of  plays  extant  in 
the  Northern  Septenar  stanza  or  later  modifications  of  it^*-  point  to  an 
extensive  revision. 

Scriptural  accuracy  and  doctrinal  correctness  appear  to  be  character- 
istics of  the  Northern  Septenar  plays,  characteristics  which  were  not 
entirely  lost  sight  of  even  in  succeeding  revisions.  One  of  the  craft  records 
shows  the  Masons  protesting  against  supporting  their  play  any  longer, 
on  the  express  ground  that  it  had  no  scriptural  basis. "^ 

The  York  plays,  on  the  whole,  are  reverent  and  seemly  in  tone;'*^  thej^ 
are  generally  regarded  as  uninteresting  and  conventional  in  material  and 
as  formal,  dignified,  and  serious  in  manner.^^^  For  the  most  part,  they 
follow  Biblical  accounts  with  only  occasional  deviations  into  apocryphal 
legends.'^"  The  doctrinal  object  of  the  whole  scheme  of  the  mysteries  is 
J  seldom  lost  sight  of  in  the  development  of  individual  plays.  Isaac  is  not 
the  terrified  youth  of  the  other  English  plays,  but  a  prototype  of  Christ 
himself,  a  man  of  thirty  years,  calm  and  resigned  in  the  face  of  God's 
command.'"  In  the  play  of  Cain  and  Abel,  the  duty  of  paying  tithes  is 
emphasized  by  the  angel  who  delivers  the  message  from  the  Deit^^^*^ 
Although  incidents  from  the  Northern  Passion  have  been  used  in  develop- 
ing the  play  of  the  Last  Supper,  they  have  been  rearranged  according  to 
the  order  given  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John.^*^ 

In  contrast  to  the  Towneley  cycle.  Ten  Brink^^"^  has  already  pointed 
out  certain  features  of  the  York  plays  which  indicate  scriptural  accuracy 
or  fitting  moderation.  "In  the  play  of  the  Deluge,"  he  says,  ''Noah's 
wife  is  obstinate  and  quarrelsome,  as  may  be  expected  of  her,  but  there 
appears  at  least  some  motive  for  her  conduct,  and  the  composure  and 
patience  of  the  patriarch  are  guaranties  that  the  conjugal  quarrel  will  be 
maintained  within  definite  bounds.  The  York  Pilate  is  conceived  to  some 
extent,  as  human  and  not  so  much  caricature  and  even  the  Herod  of  the 
history  of  the  Passion  shows  some  touches  of  justice.  At  the  trial  of 
Christ  before  the  High  Priest,  Annas  and  Caiaphas  have,  as  it  were, 
changed  parts;  yet  the  York  Annas  is  ver}^  far  from  being  raised  to  that 

»«  Gayley,  op.  cit.  154. 

««  Davidson,  op.  cit.  137.  , 

"'Sellers,  York  Memorandum  Book,  Surlees  Society  125:123. 
'"  Smith,  op.  cit.  intro.  xlvii;  Clarke,  Miracle  Plays  in  England  18. 

'♦•Pollard,  op.  cit.  EETSES  71:intro.  xxix;  Hemingway,  English  Nativity  Plays,  p.  xxxix. 
'"Smith,  loc.  cit.;  Kamann,  Ueber  Quellen  und  Sprache  der  York  Plays  Anglia  10:189  ff.;  Holthausen, 
Nachtrag  zu  den  Quellen  der  York  Plays,  Herrig's  Archiv  85:425;  86:280  ff. 

'"  Ten  Brink,  History  of  English  Literature  2:270;  Courthope,  History  of  English  Poetry  1:405. 

'«»  Clarke,  o/>.  cit.  18. 

'«  Cady,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  10:591. 

'"  Ten  Brink,  loc.  cit. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  45 

fiendish  ingenuit}'  of  spiteful  wickedness  which  astonished  us  in  the 
Woodkirk  Caiaphas."  Probably,  then,  revisions  at  York  were  influenced, 
to  some  extent,  by  a  desire  to  redeem  the  plays  from  the  disrepute  into 
which  they  had  fallen  in  the  fourteenth  century. ^^^ 

There  were,  it  would  seem,  two  principles  underlying  the  York  revisions, 
those  of  expansion  and  contraction.  Expansion  is  seen  in  the  use  of  more 
complicated  stanzaic  forms  whose  rhj^me  schemes  demanded  an  expansion 
in  phraseology,  and  in  the  introduction  of  additional  apocryphal  material; 
contraction  is  seen  in  the  omission  of  certain  incidents  not  conformable 
to  scriptural  accounts  or  to  accepted  authorities.  These  principles,  as  the 
basis  of  the  York  revisions,  will  be  considered  in  the  discussion  of  the 
individual  plays. ^"^ 

The  Old  Theory  of  a  York  Parent  Cycle  Untenable 

Since  it  is  probable  that  the  Northern  Septenar  metre  in  the  York 
cycle  belongs  to  the  period  of  revision,  it  becomes  clear  that  the  plays 
occurring  in  that  metre  can  no  longer  be  regarded  as  the  remains  of  the 
parent  cycle,  as  argued  by  Mr.  Davidson. ^^^  Assuming  that  the  parent 
cycle  must  have  been  written  by  one  man  in  a  single  metre,  he  selected 
the  plays  in  the  Northern  Septenar  stanza  because  they  were  the  only 
plays  having  an  identical  metre  which,  he  believed,  could  possibly  have 
formed  a  cj^cle.^^^    This  assumption,  however,  seems  untenable. 

In  the  first  place,  the  incidents  which  form  the  subject  of  the  Northern 
Septenar  plan's  are  not  those  which  would  certainly  have  been  included 

•"  Robert  Grossetete  and  Robert  de  Brunne  considered  attendance  at  the  mysteries  a  sinful  act.  See 
Collier,  Annals  of  the  Stage  6  ff.  The  ranting  of  Herod  and  Pilate  had  become  stock  situations  by  Chau- 
cer's time.     See  the  Miller's  Prologue  and  Tale. 

1E2  See  below,  ch.  IV. 

15'  Davidson,  op.  cit.  137  ff.  Mr.  Davidson's  theory  has  been  generally  accepted:  see  Coblentz,  Mod. 
Lang.  Notes  10:77;  Gayley,  op.  cit.  153  ff..  Representative  English  Comedies  intro.  xxiv.  Internal.  Quart. 
10:125;  Cady,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  10:590.  Previous  to  Mr.  Davidson's  study.  Professor  Hohlfeld  {op.  cit. 
Anglia  11:248)  suggested  that  the  Northern  Septenar  plays,  because  of  their  dignified  and  religious 
character,  were  just  such  plays  as  would  surely  have  belonged  to  an  original  cycle,  with  the  possible  ex- 
ception of  XL  XXIII,  and  part  of  XXIV. 

■"  By  means  of  rhyme  scheme  tests  indicating  a  common  authorship,  Mr.  Davidson  {op.  cit.  137  ff.) 
includes  the  following  plays  in  his  proposed  parent  cycle:  II,  the  Creation  to  the  Fifth  Day,  VIII,  the  Building 
of  the  Ark,  IX,  Noah  and  His  Wife,  the  Flood  and  Its  Waning,  X,  Abraham's  Sacrifice  of  Isaac,  XII,  the 
Annunciation,  the  Prologue,  XV,  the  Angels  and  the  Shepherds  (the  first  three  strophes  and  thelastfour, 
omitting  the  comic  episodes),  XVII,  the  Coming  of  the  Three  Kings  to  Herod,  the  Adoration  (strophes 
22,  23,  24,  he  thinks  may  have  been  rewritten),  XX,  Christ  -with  the  Doctors  in  the  Temple,  XXIII,  the 
Transfiguration,  XXIV,  the  Woman  Taken  in  Adultery,  the  Raising  of  Lazarus,  W.  XX,  Conspiracio, 
(Towneley)  from  "Cayphas"  to  "Tunc  dicet  Sanctus  Johannes,"  later  supplanted  in  York,  XXVII,  the 
Last  Supper,  XXXV,  the  Crucifixion,  XXXVII,  the  Harrouing  of  Hell,  XLIV,  the  Descent  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  Mr.  Davidson,  however,  is  not  justified  in  including  the  Annunciation.  It  occurs  in  double 
quatrains,  as  does  the  Visit  to  Elizabeth,  and  is  part  of  the  same  play.  If  he  includes  the  one,  he  has  no 
reason,  it  would  seem  to  omit  the  other.  Since  he  does  not  apply  his  rhyme  scheme  tests  to  the  double 
quatrains  of  this  play,  he  presents  no  proof  showing  their  connection  with  the  Northern  Septenar  strophes, 
and  therefore,  is  not  entitled  to  include  the  Annunciation  in  his  parent  cycle.  Other  scholars  have  also 
expressed  opinions  regarding  the  legitimacy  of  including  certain  plays.  Mr.  Coblentz  {Mod.  Lang.  Notes 
10:77)  accepts  all  of  Davidson's  parent  cycle  except  the  Wakefield  Conspiracio.  Professor  Gayley  {Plays 
of  Our  Forefathers  153,  n.  1)  omits  Play  IX. 


46  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

in  a  cycle  developed  from  liturgical  plays. ^^^  Of  the  nine  incidents  clearly 
demanded  by  any  Nativity  and  Resurrection  liturgical  groups,  the 
Prophetae,  the  Annunciation,  the  Nativity,  the  Shepherds,  the  Magi,  the 
Qtiem  Quaeritis,  the  Hortulamis,  the  Peregrini  and  perhaps  the  Incredulity 
of  Thomas,  Mr.  Davidson's  cycle  includes  but  three,  the  Prophetae,  the 
Shepherds,  and  the  Magi. 

Besides  this  omission  of  certain  essential  plays,  the  proposed  parent 
cycle  includes  plays  which  could  have  been  present,  it  would  seem,  only  in 
a  fairly  complete  cycle.  The  most  striking  case  is  that  of  the  Transfigura- 
tion, which  is  not  found  in  any  of  the  other  highly  developed  English 
cycles.  Although  plays  dealing  with  Christ's  ministry,  such  as  the  Doctors, 
the  Woman  Taken  in  Adultery,  and  Lazarus,  may  have  existed  in  the  parent 
cycle,  their  presence  in  an  early  stage  seems  unlikely  since  the  material 
w^hich  they  treat  i^  not  fundamental  in  cyclical  formation. 

Moreover,  Mr.  Davidson  himself  admits  the  superior  age  of  certain 
other  plays  of  supposed  "church  origin. "^^^ 

Separation  of  the  York  and  Towneley  Cycles 

The  contact  between  York  and  Towneley  must  have  extended  into 
the  period  in  which  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  oj  Nicodemus  was  felt, 
because  two  of  the  plays  common  to  both  cycles,  the  Harrowing  of  Hell 
and  the  Resurrection,  include  material  derived  from  that  source.  The 
separation  must  have  occurred,  however,  before  that  material  was  com- 
pletely assimilated,  for  three  York  plays  incorporate  Nicodemus  materiaP^^ 
while  the  corresponding  Towneley  plays  show  no  trace  of  it.  Moreover, 
the  number  of  York  plays  in  the  Northern  Septenar  metre  far  exceeds 
the  number  of  Towneley  plays  in  the  same  metre,  thus  indicating  that, 
in  all  probability,  the  Towneley  cycle  includes  certain  plays  of  the  parent 
cycle  which,  at  York,  were  subsequently  turned  into  the  Northern  Septenar 
metre  or  other  stanzaic  forms. 

155  The  reference  in  the  Statutes  of  York  Cathedral  to  the  Pastores  and  Stella  (^Lincoln  Statutes  2:98; 
Chambers.  The  Medieval  Stage  2:399;  Craig,  Origin  of  the  Old  Testament  Plays  Mod.  Phil.  10:485) 
makes  it  probable  that  the  York  cycle  had  its  origin  in  the  liturgy,  and  that  York  had  liturgical  plays  of 
the  Nativity  and  probably  the  Resurrection.  Since  it  can  not  be  determined  at  present,  whether  or  not 
there  existed  at  York  a  liturgical  play  on  the  Passion,  the  Passion  group  will  not  be  included  in  the 
present  discussion.  See  Chambers,  op.  cit.  2:ch.  xviii-xxii;  Cady,  op.  cil  Mod.  Phil.  10:587  ff.;  and  above, 
ch.  I,  p.  29. 

is«  Davidson,  op.  cit.  137. 

"'  See  above,  p.  30  ff. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE   INTERRELATION   OF   THE   YORK  AND 
TOWNELEY   METRES 

In  the  identical  plays  of  the  York  and  Towneley  cycles,^  four  distinct 
metres  occur,  the  Northern  Septenar,  the  "Burns"  measure,  the  double 
quatrain,  and  the  ten-line  (six  plus  four)  stanza,^  rh^miing  aabaabcbcb. 
If  the  identical  plan's  be  regarded,  not  as  "borrowings"  on  the  part  of 
Towneley  from  York,  but  as  existing  in  the  period  before  York  and  Towne- 
ley  became  separate  cycles,  we  shall  have  to  do  with  three  stages  in  the 
development  of  metrical  forms:  the  parent  cycle,  with  its  characteristic 
metres,  and  the  York  and  Townele}^  cycles,  each  with  its  characteristic 
metres  introduced  after  the  separation.  Since  the  greater  part  of  six 
plays  of  the  parent  cycle  escaped  revision  in  both  cycles,  it  is  possible 
that  certain  other  plaj^s  were  revised  in  one  cycle  but  remained  practically 
unchanged  in  the  other.  Some  of  these  plays  may  be  determined  by  means 
of  metrical  forms  common  to  both  C3'Cles. 

Apparently,  a  common  Resurrection  group  composed  entirely  in  the 
"Bums"  stanza  originally  existed  in  the  parent  cycle.  The  theory  that 
Towneley  "borrowed"  certain  plays  from  York  encounters  serious  dif- 
ficulties in  the  case  of  the  Resurrection.  To  suppose  that  Towneley 
already  possessed  a  Resurrection  group  but  wished  to  exchange  its  own 
play  for  the  York  Resurrection  seems  improbable;  to  suppose  that  the 
Towneley  cycle,  at  that  time,  was  so  small  and  incomplete  that  the  York 
Resurrection  was  borrowed  to  fill  an  existing  gap  is  likewise  inconceivable, 
for  no  matter  how  small  or  incomplete  a  cycle  might  have  been,  it  would 
certainly  have  included  a  Resurrection  proper.^  The  very  core  of  a  Resur- 
rection group  is  in  the  Resurrection  proper,  and  without  that,  the  existence 
of  a  group  of  Resurrection  plays  would  be  impossible.  If  Towneley  did 
not  possess  a  play  of  the  Resurrection  proper  before  such  a  supposed  bor- 
rowing, then  it  coiild  not  have  possessed  other  plays  immediately  follow- 
ing the  actual  resurrection  of  Jesus,  such  as  the  Appearance  of  Jesus  to 
Mary  Magdalene,  the  Peregrini,  and  the  Incredulity  of  Thomas.  Practically 
a  complete  Resurrection  group  composed  in  the  "Burns"  stanza  is  still 
extant  in  individual  plays  of  either  one  cycle  or  the  other:  the  Resurrection 
proper,  still  identical  in  both  cycles,  the  Towneley  Peregrini  (most  of  it), 
the    York   Incredulity   of   Thomas,   and   two   strophes   of   the   Towneley 

1  The  Pharaoh,  the  Doctors,  and  the  Harrowing  of  Hell  are  written  in  the  Northern  Septenar,  t^e 
Resurrection  in  the  "Burns"  measure,  the  Last  Judgment  in  double  quatrains,  and  On  the  Way  to  Calvary 
in  the  ten-line  stanza. 

*  Saintsbury,  History  of  English  Prosody  1 :209. 

*  Chambers,  ibid.  2:ch.  xviii-xxii. 


48  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

Appearance  of  Jesus  to  Alary  Magdalene.  A  Resurrection  group  naturally 
includes  these  four  incidents,  and  therefore  it  seems  reasonable  to  conclude 
that  the  parent  cycle  included  a  complete  Resurrection  group  in  the 
"Burns"  stanza. 

The  parent  cycle  may  also  have  included  certain  other  plays  in  the 
"Burns"  metre.  Perhaps  the  Towneley  Suspencio  hide  and  Magi  and  the 
York  Expulsion  belong  to  this  stage.  Similarities  in  stanzaic  form,  verse 
movement,  and  lack  of  structural  alliteration  connect  these  plays  with 
those  of  the  Resurrection  group  in  the  same  metre.  The  use  of  identical 
rhymes,  though  less  evident,  may  be  considered  significant  in  indicating 
a  common  influence. 

The  York  Resurrection  will  be  selected  as  the  standard  by  which  to 
compare  all  the  plays  occurring  in  the  "Burns"  metre. 

(1)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  occiirring  between  York 
XLII,  the  Incredulity  oj  Thomas,  and  York  XXXVIII,  the  Resurrection: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  XLII:26,  feele,  wele;  Y  XXXVIII :22,  fele,  wele.  Y  XLII:13,  me,  see;  Y 
XXXVIII:32,  see,  me.    Y  XLII:23,  (vn)wwe,  rise;  Y  XXXVIII :27,  ryse,  wise. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  XLII:18,  man,  wan;  Y  XXXVIII:16,  wanne,  blanne,  raanne,  Jeanne.  •  Y 
XLII:22,  gajtg,  mang;  Y  XXXVIII:10,  {a)mong,  gang,  lang,  wrang.  Y  XLII:19, 
pyne,  tyne;  Y  XXXVIII :33,  pyne,  tyne,  medicvne,  hyne.    Y  XLII:23,  {Yn)wise,  rise; 

Y  XXXVIII :6,  wise,  rise,  dispise,  assise.  Y  XLII:2,  sloo,  goo;  Y  XXXVIII :57,  goo, 
soo,  sloo,  woo.  Y  XLII:17,  morne,  lorne;  Y  XXXVIII:65,  borne,  beforne,  morne, 
lorne.    Y  XLII  :5,  soghte,  broght,  pought;  Y  XXXVIII  :40,  pought,  sought,  brotight,  noght. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

■The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  York  XLII  is  66. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  York  XXXVIII  is  152. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  10/66  of  all  in  York  XLII  or  15+  per 
cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  21  in  198  lines  of  York  XLII  or  1  in  9>^ 
lines. 

(2)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
York  XXII,  the  Temptation,  and  York  XXXVIII,  the  Resurrection: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  XXII  :3,  fetide,  ende;  Y  XXXVIII :6,   {oi)fende,  ende.     Y  XXII  :8,  ill,  will; 

Y  XXXVIII:10,  will,  ill.    Y  XXII:31,  till,  will;  Y  XXXVIII:71,  {wn)till,  will. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are: 

Y  XXII:  16,  falle,  schall;  Y  XXXVIII :68,  schall,  all,  call,  {he)fall.  Y  XXII :25, 
hende,  frende;  Y  XXXVIII:44,^  layne,  wende,  frende,  hende.  Y  XXII:27,  wende, 
ende;  Y  XXXVIII  :58,  hende,  wende,  frendes,  ende.  Y  XXII:  17,  niyghi,  sight;  Y 
XXXVIII :32,  dight,  wight,  sight,  myght.  Y  XXII :13,  allone,  ilkone;  Y  XXXVIII  :26,'i 
ilkone,  allone,  anone,  gone.  Y  XXII  :6,  10,  moo,  two;  Y  XXXVIII :38,  moo,  also,  goo, 
to.     Y  XXII :5,  borne,  morne;  Y  XXXVIII :65,  borne,  beforne,  morne,  lorne. 

«  Cf.  also  Y  XXXVIII  :58,  hende,  vrende,  frendes,  ende. 

•  Cf.  also  Y  XXXVIII:64,  (euer)i7feo«e,  stone,  none,  allone. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  49 


(c)    The  proportions  are : 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  York  XXII  is  70. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  York  XXXVIII  is  152. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  10/70  of  all  in  York  XXII  or  14+  per 

cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  20  in  210  lines  of  York  XXII  or  1  in  10 
lines. 

(3)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
York  VI,  the  Expulsion,  and  York  XXXVIII,  the  Resurrection: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

Y  VI:28,  wrange,  emange,  lange,  gange;  Y  XXXVIII :10,  among,  gang,  lang, 
wrang.  Y  VI :2,  tille,  wille;  Y  XXXVIII: 71,  i\'n)till,  will.  Y  VI:24,  gilte,  spilte; 
Y  XXXVIII  :46,  spilte,  gilte. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

Y  VI:23,  bydene,  sene;  Y  XXXVIII :3,^  mayntayne,  bedene,-wene,sene.  Y  VI:25, 
pought,  nought;  Y  XXXVIII :57,  pought,  sought,  brought,  noght. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  York  VI  is  58. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  York  XXXVIII  is  152. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  5/58  of  all  in  York  VI  or  9+  per  cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  14  in  168  lines  of  York  VI  or  1  in  12  lines. 

(4)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhymes  appearing  between  Towneley 
XXVII,  the  Peregrini,  and  York  XXXVIII,  the  Resfirrection: 

(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are : 

T  26,  drede,  yede;  Y  62,  ^ede,  drede.     T  60,  thtis,  vs;  Y  70,  pits,  vs. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

T  51,  away,  say;  Y  27,^  saie,  purvaye,  may,  away.  T  28,  saw,  knaw;  Y  20,^  with- 
drawe,  awe,  sawe,  knaive.  T  16,  tre,  me;  Y  46,  me,  three,  free,  tre.  T  32,  he,  se;  Y  37, 
free,  see,  be,  thre.  T  6,  ded,  red;  Y  4,^  steede,  hede,  dede,  rede.  Til,  dede,  yede;  T  26, 
drede,  yede;  Y  54,  dede,  ^ede,  drede,  nede.     T  18,  two,  go;  Y  43,  soo,  froo,  too,  goo. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Towneley  XXVII  is  76. 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  York  XXXVIII  is  152. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  10/76  of  all  in  Towneley  XXVII  or  13  + 
per  cent. 

The  number  of  rhyme  words  agreeing  is  20  in  246  lines  of  Towneley  XXVII  or 
1  in  12  lines. 

(5)  The  analysis  of  the  identical  rhyme  series  appearing  between 
Towneley  XIV,  the  Magi,  and  York  XXXVIII,  the  Resurrection: 

5  Cf.  also  Y  XXXVIII :8,  mene,  sene,  bedene,  v.-ene. 

'  Cf.  also  Y  29,  maye,  day,  away,  saie;  49,  saie,  laye,  aivaye,  ay;  71,  saie,  daye,  araye,  awaye. 

8  Cf.  also  Y  61,  sa'u;e,  knawe,  awe,  drawe. 

9  Cf.  also  Y  53,  rede,  dede,  steede,  hede. 


50  MARIE   C.  LYLE 


(a)  The  identical  rhymes  are: 

T  33,  I's,  thus;  Y  70,  pus,  vs.  T  43,  tnorne,  home,  lorne,  beforne;  Y  65,  home, 
befome,  mome,  lome.  T  50,  to,  do;  Y  24,  (l3er)/o,  do.  T  38,  85,  wyll,  vntyll;  Y  71, 
vntill,  will.  T  81,  heynd,  iveynd,  leynd,freynd;  Y  44,  layne  (letidc),  •wende,frende,  hende. 
T  40,  hende,  ende;  Y  26,  hende,  ende.  T  73,  «xe,  5e;  Y  32,  see,  me.  T  41,  rerf,  sted,  hed, 
ded;  Y  4,  53,  steede,  hedc,  dede,  rede.  T  46,  way,  say;  Y  56,  way,  sate.  T  78,  say,  lay, 
way,  may;  Y  41,  sate,  laye,  may,  way. 

(b)  The  included  rhymes  are : 

T  23,  none,  alone;  Y  64,  (euer)ilkone,  stone,  none,  allone.     T  90,  broght,  soght; 

Y  40,  Jjought,  sought,  brought,  noght.  T  SO,  fro,  so;  Y  25,^0  soo,  goo.  froo,  moo.  T  3, 
ying,  thyng;  Y  5,"  thyng,  beriyng,  ping,  thidingis.    T  13,  ying,  kyng;  T  63,  ihyng,  kyng; 

Y  15,  thyng,  ping,  mornj^ng,  kyng.  T  48,  rewe,  knew;  Y  14,  rewe,  enewe,  trewe,  knewe. 
T  40,  hende,  ende;  T  97,  eiide,  weynd;  T  101,  heynd,  weynd;  Y  58,  hende,  wende,  frendes, 
ende.    T  36,  104,  cuntre,  be;  T  24,  34,  me,  he;  Y  1,  me,  degre,  cotttre,  be.    T  58,  me,  thre; 

Y  46,  7ne,  three,  free,  tre.  T  17,  89,  ctmtre,  se;  Y  74,  contre,  degre,  be,  see.  T  22, 
weynd,  send;  Y  73,  amende,  kende,  sende,  wende.  T  103,  manere,  sere;  Y  36,  dere, 
manere,  clere,  sere.     T  46,  way,  say;  Y  41,^2  ^Q^-g^  laye,  may,  way.     T  83,  awaj,  say; 

Y  27,"  5aje,  purva3'e,  may,  away. 

(c)  The  proportions  are: 

The  number  of  rhyme  series  in  Towneley  XIV  is  206. 

The  number  of  rhj'me  series  in  York  XXXVIII  is  152. 

The  number  of  agreeing  rhyme  series  is  26/206  of  all  in  Towneley  XIV  or  12  + 
per  cent. 

The  number  of  rhj-me  words  agreeing  is  60  in  630  lines  of  Towneley  XIV  or  1  in 
10+  lines. 

The  proportion  of  identical  rhyme  series  occurring  in  the  York  plays 
under  discussion  and  the  York  Resurrection,  selected  as  a  standard,  varies 
from  ten  to  fifteen  per  cent;  the  proportion  between  the  Towneley  plays 
and  the  standard  falls  within  the  same  limits,  namely,  twelve  and  thirteen 
per  cent.  The  proportion  of  identical  words  is  also  similar:  the  York 
plays  show  an  identity  with  the  standard  in  from  one  in  nine  and  one  half 
lines  to  one  in  twelve  lines;  the  Towneley  plays  from  one  in  ten  lines  to 
one  in  twelve  lines.  It  is,  then,  apparent  that  the  plays  of  both  cycles 
in  the  "Burns"  metre  were  composed  under  the  same  influence,  and  must, 
therefore,  represent  plaj^s  of  the  parent  cycle. 

The  presence  in  the  Towneley  cycle  of  certain  plaj^s  in  the  Northern 
Septenar^^  and  in  the  "Burns"  measure,  shown  by  rhyme  scheme  tests  to 
be  plays  of  the  parent  cycle,  supplanted  in  York  bj^  other  versions,  leads 
to  the  conclusion  that  other  plays  of  the  parent  cycle  in  other  metres 
may  now  exist  in  Towneley.  The  Last  Judgment,  in  double  quatrains, 
and  On  the  Way  to  Calvary,  in  the  ten-line  (six  plus  four)  stanza,  practically 
identical  in  the  two  cycles,  are  cases  in  point.     The  Towneley  Abraham 

*•  Cf.  also  Y  69,  soo,  froo,  goo,  mo. 

"  Cf.  also  y  15,  thyng,  ping,  mornying,  kyng. 

"Cf.  also  Y  43,  sate,  daye,  maye,  waye;  52,  day,  waye,  sate,  afifraye. 

*'  Cf.  also  Y  29,  maye,  day,  away,  sale;  49,  saie,  laye,  awaye,  ay;  71,  sale,  daye,  araye,  awaye. 

>*  See  Davidson,  op.  cit.  144. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  51 

and  Isaac  as  well  as  John  the  Baptist}^  occur  in  double  quatrains  similar  to 
those  of  the  Last  Judgment,  and  like  the  plays  in  the  Northern  Septenar 
and  "Burns"  metres,  may  perhaps  also  be  regarded  as  parent  plays  sub- 
sequently revised  in  York.  The  presence  in  the  Towneley  Talents  of 
strophes  rhyming  ababcbc  may  bear  some  connection  with  the  York  plays 
in  the  same  metre,  the  Nativity,  the  Baptism,  and  the  Entry.  It  is  even 
possible  that  the  parent  cycle  made  a  more  extended  use  of  this  metre 
than  is  apparent  in  the  extant  plays :  the  play  of  the  Talents,  now  omitted 
from  the  York  cycle  but  described  in  a  1422  record,^^  may  be  partly  pre- 
served in  the  ababcbc  strophes  of  the  Towneley  play.^^  Some  significance 
may  also  be  attached  to  the  fact  that  the  main  action  of  the  play  appears 
in  this  form,  while  elaborations  appear  in  other  metres  and  may,  therefore, 
represent  additions  to  or  revisions  of  the  parent  play. 

In  all  probability,  there  is  present  in  either  one  cycle  or  the  other, 
certain  parent  plays  whose  metrical  forms  are  no  longer  common  to  both 
cycles.  The  determination  of  such  plays  is,  of  course,  more  or  less  problem- 
atical, but  there  still  remain  numerous  similarities  in  structural  outline 
and  in  verbal  agreement  which  may  be  noted  as  indicative  of  the  original 
identity  of  the  two  cycles. 

"  Mr.  Pollard,  {op.  cit.  EETSES  71:intro.  xxvi),believesthat  they  "belong  to  the  period  when  the  York 
plays  were  being  incorporated  into  the  cycle."  According  to  Professor  Gayley  {ibid.  134,  n.  1),  they 
represent  early  alternatives  of  York  plays,  later  discarded  in  York.  He  also  includes  the  Peregrini  in 
this  group. 

"  See  Miss  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxv.  The  play  is  described  thus:  tibi  Pilatus  et  alii  milites  ludebant  ad 
talos  pro  vestimentis  Jesu  et  pro  eis  sortes  mittebant  et  ea  parciebantur  inter  se. 

''  Professor  Hohlfeld  {Anglia  11:299  flf.),  believes  that  the  Towneley  play  of  the  Talents  is  an  imita- 
tion of  the  condensed  accounts  now  extant  in  York  XXXIV  and  XXXV,  but  it  seems  more  likely  that  the 
York  scenes  represent  later  revisions  of  the  parent  play,  now  extant  in  part  in  the  Towneley  cycle. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE   SITUATION   IN   THE   INDIVIDUAL   PLAYS 

"We  find  in  the  extant  plays  of  York  and  Towneley  many  similarities 
which  bear  out  the  theory  of  an  original  identity  of  the  two  cycles. 
Because  of  probable  independent  revisions  in  both  cycles  after  the  separa- 
tion of  the  two,  the  similarities  naturally  differ  in  degree  and  kind.  Accord- 
ingly, nearly  every  pl^y  presents  a  separate  problem.  Some  plays  show 
practical  verbal  agreement  while  certain  other  plays  contain  very  little 
parallel  phraseology  but  reveal  a  close  similarity  in  structural  outline. 
Slight  revisions  in  either  one  c^^cle  or  the  other  or  in  both  may  account 
for  the  minor  differences  discernible  in  the  former  group  of  plays,  whereas 
thorough  revisions  in  either  one  cycle  or  the  other  or  in  both  must  be  con- 
ceded in  order  to  explain  the  extensive  differences  occurring  in  the  latter 
group  of  plays. 

The  possibility  of  independent  revisions  in  both  cycles  after  the  separa- 
tion need  offer  no  difficulties.  The  large  number  of  stanzaic  forms  in  the 
English  mysteries  indicates  the  existence  of  early  and  late  plays. ^  Creize- 
nach^  and  Chambers^  suggest  that  "to  the  end  of  the  history  of  the 
religious  drama,  the  older  t^^pes,  which  it  threw  out  as  it  evolved,  coexisted 
with  the  newer  ones";  Mr.  Davidson^  is  of  the  opinion  that  "a  cycle  con- 
tains the  plays,  independent  or  revised,  of  many  writers  of  different  periods 
and  schools,"  that  "it  contains  the  work  of  many  authors,  writing  on 
related  subjects  in  different  styles  and  metres.  In  this  work,"  he  continues, 
"very  possibly  every  generation  for  two  centuries  is  represented."  Pro- 
fessor Hohlfeld^  speaks  of  the  revisions  through  which  it  is  certain  both 
the  York  and  Towneley  cycles  passed,  by  which  it  became  possible,  he 
claims,  for  an  original  version  to  be  changed  to  an  unrecognizable  degree. 
Airs.  Frank,  in  her  recent  article,^  concludes  that  "we  have  in  Towneley 
as  in  York  a  collection  of  plays  each  subjected,  at  least  during  its  formative 
period,  to  the  vicissitudes  of  life  within  its  particular  craft." 

Because  of  probable  changes  which  both  cycles  were  undergoing  all 
the  time,  we  shall  not  be  surprised  if  we  find  in  some  plays  little  evidence 
conclusively  indicative  of  an  original  identity.  In  such  cases,  generally 
speaking,   late   metrical    forms    or    extensive   elaborations    enable   us   to 

"  Ten  Brink.  History  of  English  Literature  2:253-87;  Pollard,  The  Towneley  Plays  EETSES  71:intro. 
xxiii  ff.;  Gayley,  Representative  English  Comedies  l:intro.  xxiii-xxsi;  Plays  of  Our  Forefathers  125-204; 
Bunzen,  Ein  Beilrag  zur  Kritik  der  Wakefielder  Mysterien  7  ff.;  Cady,  op.  cit.  Jour.  Eng.  Ccr.  Phil.  10:572  ff. 

'  Creizenach,  Geschichte  des  neueren  Dramas  1:218. 

'  Chambers,  The  Medieval  Stage  2:96;  see  also  ch.  xxii. 

*  Davidson,  op.  cit.  172-73. 

«  Hohlfeld.  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:256. 

•  Mrs.  Frank,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  15:187. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  53 

identify  the  plays  as  revisions  in  one  of  the  two  cycles;  nor  is  it  unlikely 
that  certain  plays  underwent  independent  revisions  in  both  cycles. 
A  detailed  comparison  of  the  two  cycles  reveals  six  groups  of  plays : 

(1)  To  the  first  group  belong  the  plays  which  still  remain  identical  in 
the  two  cycles :  Pharaoh,  the  Doctors,  On  the  Way  to  Calvary,  the  Harrowing 
of  Hell,  the  Resurrection,  the  Last  Judgment. 

(2)  The  plays  in  the  second  group  are  those  which  still  retain,  in  spite 
of  a  later  revision  on  the  part  of  either  York  or  Towneley,  a  similarity 
in  underlying  structure,  together  with  isolated  passages  showing  parallel 
phraseology  occasionally  retaining  even  common  rhyme  words:  Joseph's 
Trouble  about  Mary,  the  Magi,  the  Flight  into  Egypt,  the  Massacre  of  the 
Innocents,  the  Incredulity  of  Thomas,  the  Creation  group,  the  Prophetic 
Prologue  to  the  Annunciation,  the  Shepherds,  John  the  Baptist,  Lazarus, 
the  Conspiracy,  the  Last  Supper,  the  Agony  and  Betrayal,  the  Crucifixion 
and  Burial,  the  Appearance' of  Jesus  to  Mary  Magdalene,  the  Peregrini. 

(3)  The  plays  in  the  third  group  are  those  which  show  a  similarity  in 
underlying  structure,  together  with  isolated  passages  showing  parallel 
phraseology  but  without  the  retention  of  common  rhyme  words  :^  Noah 
and  the  Flood,  the  Annunciation,  the  Visit  to  Elizabeth,  the  Examination 
before  Caiaphas,  the  Ascension. 

(4)  The  plays  in  the  fourth  group  are  those  which  show  a  similarity  in 
underlying  structure,  but  are  unaccompanied  by  passages  showing  signifi- 
cant or  extensive  similarities  in  phraseology:  Cain  and  Abel,  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  the  Condemnation. 

(5)  The  play  in  the  so-called  fifth  group  is  the  only  corresponding  play 
in  the  two  cycles  which  reveals  little  similarity  in  structiu-al  outline  and 
no  agreement  in  phraseology,  namely,  the  Purification. 

(6)  The  plays  in  the  sixth  group  are  those  which  are  included  in  but 
one  of  the  cycles;  (a)  plays  in  Towneley  but  not  in  York  are:  Isaac,  Jacob, 
the  Prophetae,  Octavian,  the  Hanging  of  JudCis,  the  Talents;  (b)  plays  in 
York  but  not  in  Towneley  are:  the  Temptation  and  the  Fall  (in  part), 
Expulsion  from  Paradise,  the  Nativity,  the  Temptation,  the  Transfiguration, 
the  Woman  Taken  in  Adidtery,  the  Entry  into  Jerusalem,  Peter's  Denial, 
the  First  Trial  before  Pilate  and  Pilate's  Wife's  Dream,  the  Trial  before 
Herod,  the  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Death  of  Mary,  the  Appearance 
of  Our  Lady  to  Thomas,  the  Assumption  and  Coronation  of  Our  Virgin. 

First  Group  of  Plays 

In  the  first  group,  we  have  the  plays  which,  in  their  extant  versions, 
are  still  practically  identical.  In  spite  of  independent  revisions  through 
which  other  plays  passed  after  the  separation  of  the  two  cycles,  these 
plays  retain  practically  their  parent  cycle  form.     They  may,  therefore, 

'  In  isolated  cases,  a  single  rhyme  word  is  often  retained. 


54  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

be  considered  direct  evidence  of  the  original  identity  of  the  two  cycles. 
The  minor  differences^  do  not  affect  the  question;  they  indicate  merely 
slight  changes  introduced  after  York  and  Towneley  became  independent 
cj-cles. 

Second  Group  of  Plays 

In  the  second  group,  we  have  the  plays  which  show  a  similarity  in 
structural  outline  and  a  verbal  agreement  in  isolated  passages  with  the 
retention  of  man\^  common  rhymes.  Later  metrical  forms,  elaboration  of 
details  or  expansion  of  phraseology  indicate  that  the  play  in  either  York 
or  Towneley,  as  the  case  may  be,  underwent  revision.  In  some  cases, 
the  corresponding  play  in  the  other  cycle  maj^  approximately  represent 
the  parent  play  itself. 

Joseph's  Trouble  about  Mary 

The  play  of  Joseph's  Trouble  receives  greater  elaboration  in  York  and 
Towneley  than  in  any  of  the  other  English  cycles.  Only  York  and  Townele}'' 
include  the  story  of  Joseph's  marriage^  and  the  testimony  of  the  puellae 
as  to  Mary's  chastity. 

Close  similarities  in  structural  outlines  and  extensive  parallels  in  phrase- 
ologyi°  exist  in  the  York  and  Towneley  plays : 

(1)  Joseph  marvels  at  Mary's  condition.  Compare  T  11.  155-60  to  Y  11.  43-60. 
Note  especially  the  retention  of  one  common  rhyme  word,  wroght,  and  the  close  paral- 
lelism of  the  following  lines: 

My  wyfe   .    .    .  is  grete  and  she  with  My  5onge  wiffe  is  with  childe  full  grete. 

child. 

what  has  she  wroght?  How  JdIs  l)ing  may  be  wroght, 

Therfor  myin  is  it  noght.  Jje  childe  certis  is  noght  myne. 

(2)  Joseph,  old  and  weak,  bemoans  having  married  so  young  a  woman.  Compare 
T  11.  161-70  and  Y  11.  5-23,  195-97.  Note  especially  the  retention  of  the  common 
rhyme  words,  elde,  vnwelde,  wyfe,  banne. 

(3)  Joseph,  believing  himself  beguiled,  decides  to  question  Mary.  Compare 
T  11.  172-73  and  Y  11.  42-43,  65;  also  T  11.  177-78  and  Y  11.  71-74. 

som  othere  has  she  tane,  I  am  begiled;  how,  wate  I  no5t. 

she  is  with  chyld,  I  wote  neuer  how.  My  5onge  wiffe  is  with  childe   .    .    . 

And  why  ne  walde  som  yonge  man  ta 
her. 

Bot  now  then  wyll  I  weynd  hyr  to.  Of  my  wendyng  wil  I  nowe  warne, 

And  wytt  who  owe  that  foode.  Neuere  Ipe  lees  it  is  myne  entente 

To  aske  hir  who  gate  hir  l^at  barne, 
3itt  wolde  I  wide  fayne  or  I  wente. 

•  These  differences  have  already  been  presented  in  detail  by  Herttrich,  op.  cit.,  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia 
11:219  ff..  Pollard,  op.  cit.  intro.  xv  ff. 

•  In  the  Hegge  plays,  the  story  of  Joseph's  marriage  occurs  in  Play  X,  Mary's  Betroihment. 

>"  Mr.  Hemingway  (Study  of  the  English  Nativity  Plays,  intro.  xliii)  considers  that  the  verbal  simi- 
larities noted  by  Professor  Hohlfeld  (op.  cit.  Anglia  11:290)  are  not  significant  since  they  are  paralleled 
in  the  other  cycles,  but  many  agreements  not  hitherto  noticed  are  presented  below,  and  many  of  these 
do  not  occur  in  the  other  cycles. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES 


55 


(4)  Joseph  greets  Mary  and  reproaches  her.     Compare  T  11.  179-80  and   Y  11. 
75,  92. 

hayll,  mary,  and  well  ye  be! 

•why,  bot  woman,  what  chere  with  the? 

(5)  Joseph  questions  Mary  about  the  child.    Compare  T  11.  186-96  and  Y  11.  103, 
158-59,  167-68,  177-78,  188-89,  199-200. 


All  haylet    God  be  here-inne! 

(Puellae  scene  interpolated.) 
Gramercy,  Marie,  sale  what  chere. 


Whos  is  that  chyld 
Sir,  Goddis  and  youres 


She  is  with  childe,  Whos  is't  Marie? 
Sir,  Goddis  and  youres 


(6)  IMary  protests  her  innocence.  Compare  T  11.  203-6  and  Y  11.  215-16,  with 
the  retention  of  the  rhyme  word,  filid. 

ffor  fleshly  was  I  neuer  fylyd  With  synne  was  I  neuer  filid 

(7)  Joseph's  incredulity.  Compare  T  11.  197-202  and  Y  11.  169-76,  with  the  re- 
tention of  the  rhyme  word,  spill;  also  T  11.  167-69  and  Y  11.  195-97,  with  the  common 
rhyme  word,  gane. 

The  gams  fro  me  ar  gane  J)ase  games  fra  me  are  gane 

(8)  Joseph  tells  the  story  of  his  marriage,  which  he  now  regrets.  Compare  T  11. 
245-50  and  Y  11.  25-30,  with  the  retention  of  three  rhyme  words,  wand,  hande,  ment; 
also  T  11.  255-61  and  Y  11.  32-34;  T  11.  161-63  and  Y  11.  35-36,  21-23,  with  the  retention 
of  one  rhyme  word,  banne. 


Thay  gaf  ich  man  a  white  wand. 

And  bad  vs  bere  them  in  oure  hande. 

To  ofire  with  good  intent; 

Thay  ofTerd  thare  yerdys  vp  in  tyde, 

I  wyst  not  what  thay  ment. 

In  my  hand  it  f lory  shed  with  blome; 

Then  sayde  thay  all  to  me. 

That  the  behovys  wed  mary  the  may. 

That  euer  I  wed  so  yong  a  wyfe, 

That  bargan  may  I  ban. 


For  {)are-in  was  ordande 

Vn-wedded  men  sulde  stande, 

Al  'sembled  at  asent; 

And  ilke  ane  a  drye  wande 

On  heght  helde  in  his  hand, 

And  I  ne  wist  what  it  meiit. 

lit   florisshed    faire,    and    floures    on 

sprede. 
And  they  saide  to  me  forthy 
Jjat  with  a  wiffe  I  sulde  be  wedde. 
For  bittirly  |)an  may  I  banne 
Itt  was  to  me  a  bad  barganne. 

(9)  The  testimony  of  the  puellae  as  to  Mary's  innocence.  Compare  T  11.  284- 
92  and  Y  11.  108-27,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  wight,  night.  Joseph  re- 
fuses to  accept  their  excuses,  claiming  that  Mary's  visitor  was  a  man  in  the  likeness 
of  an  angel.  Compare  T  11.  208-14,  294-98  and  Y  11.  162-66,  135-37,  with  the  reten- 
tion of  one  rhyme  word,  can. 

I   askyd  ther  women  who  that  had         Say,  maidens,  how  es  t»is? 


done. 

And  thay  me  sayde  an  angell  sone, 
syn  that  I  went  from  hame; 
An  angell  spake  with  that  wyght. 
And  no  man  els,  bi  day  nor  nyght, 
Thay  excusyd  hir  thus  sothly. 
To  make  hir  clene  of  hir  foly. 


For  trulye  her  come  neuer  noman, 

Of  this  swete  wight. 
And  was  neuere  fro  hir  day  nor  nyght, 
Na,  here  come  noman  in   .    .    . 
Saue  an  Angell. 


(10)  Joseph  goes  to  the  wilderness.    Compare  T  11.  321-22  and  Y  11.  239-40. 

(11)  The  angel  appears  to  Joseph  in  his  sleep  and  tells  him  to  return  home;  that 
Mary's  son  is  conceived  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Compare  T  11.  333-34  and  Y  11.  267-68, 
with  the  retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  gast. 


She  hase  consauyd  the  holy  gast. 


Itt  is  consayued  of  pe  haly  gast. 


56  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

(12)  Repenting,  Joseph  praises  God  and  asks  Mary's  forgiveness.  Compare 
T  II.  347-51  and  Y  11.  2S9-93. 

ffor  thy  to  hir  now  wyll  I  weynde,  Me  bus  pray  hir  halde  me  excused, 

Saie,  Marie  iviffe,  how  fares  Jdou? 

A,  tnary,  wyfe,  what  chere?  pe  bettir,  sir  for  3^hou. 

The  better,  sir,  that  ye  ar  here.  Why  stande  yhe  t>are?  come  nere. 

(13)  Joseph  feels  "light."    Compare  T  1.  368  and  Y  1.  286. 

Professor  Hohlfeld's"  conclusion  that  the  Towneley  play  represents  a 
general  imitation  of  the  York  version  with  a  borrowing  of  isolated  passages 
is  not  borne  out  by  a  comparison  of  (1)  the  metrical  situation,  (2)  the 
verbal  expansion  of  certain  passages  in  the  York  play,  or  (3)  the  treatment 
of  certain  incidents. 

(1)  The  York  strophe,  rhyming  ababccbccb,  is  a  later  modification  of  the  simple 
rime  couee  in  which  the  Towneley  play  is  composed. 

(2)  In  order  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  a  more  complicated  rhyme  scheme,  it  is 
apparent  that  certain  York  strophes  expanded  the  simpler  rime  couee  stanzas  of  the 
Towneley  play.  Compare  especially  T  11.  155-60  and  Y  11.  43-60;  T  11.  161-70  and 
Y  11.  5-24;  T  11.  173-74  and  Y  11.  42-65;  Til.  177-78  and  Y  11.  71-74;  Til.  179-80  and  Y 
11.  75-92;  T  11.  284-93  and  Y  11.  108-27;  T  11.  349-51  and  Y  11.  291-94. 

(3)  The  York  Joseph  refuses  to  be  pacified  so  easily  as  does  the  Towneley 
Joseph  by  Mary's  explanation  of  her  condition.  He  asks  for  the  parentage  of  her 
child  no  less  than  six  dififerent  times,  whereas  the  Towneley  Joseph  asks  but  three 
times.  This  expansion  may  be  due,  in  part,  to  the  dramatic  presentation  of  the 
piiellae  in  York  as  against  the  narrative  presentation  in  Towneley.  Perhaps,  Burton's 
failure  to  mention  the  puellae  in  the  description  of  the  play  in  the  1415  list'^  indicates 
that,  as  speaking  characters,  they  were  not  originally  present  in  the  York  pla}'. 

These  instances  indicate  an  elaboration  by  York  of  the  simpler  Towne- 
le}^  play,  and  therefore,  the  Towneley  play  is  not  to  be  regained  as  "an 
adaptation  of  an  earlier  York  play,"  as  Professor  Gayley^^  suggests,  but  as 
the  earlier  play  itself,  or  the  play  nearer  the  parent-cj^'cle  version  than  the 
extant  York  play. 

The  parallels  with  true-Coventry,^*  sometimes  corresponding  to  the 
extant  York  play  and  at  other  times  to  the  extant  Townelej^  play,  may 
be  explained  by  assuming  that  the  true-Coventry  play  came  into  contact 
either  with  the  parent  play  itself  or  with  a  subsequent  revision  of  it. 

The  Magi 

In  York,  the  incidents  of  the  Magi  or  the  Coming  of  the  Three  Kings 
and  Their  Oblation  are  divided  into  two  separate  plaA^s,  whereas  they  are 
included  in  a  single  play  in  Towneley.  Numerous  similarities  in  structural 
outlines  and  phraseology  exist : 

"  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:290. 

"  The  description  given  the  play  in  Burton's  1415  list  (Smith,  op.  cit.  intro.  xx)  is:  Maria,  Josep  volens 
dimiltere  earn,  angelus  eis  loguens  vt  transeant  vsque  Bedlem. 
>»  Gayley,  Plays  of  Our  Forefathers  134,  n.  1. 
"  These  parallels  have  been  pointed  out  by  Professor  Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:438  S. 


THE    YORK   AND    TOWNELEY  CYCLES  57 


(1)  Herod,  boasting  of  his  beauty  and  power,  orders  his  messenger  to  search 
the  realm  for  miscreants.    Compare  Y  PI.  XVI,  11.  1-44  and  T  II.  1-66. 

(2)  In  the  meeting  of  the  three  kings  and  their  decision  to  ride  on  together,  one  of 
the  kings  prays  God  to  "grant  him  grace  of  company"  and  declares  that  he  will  not 
cease  to  search  until  he  has  discovered  the  meaning  of  the  star.  Compare  T  11.  91-92 
and  Y  11.  19-20  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  companye; 
also  T  11.  98-99  and  Y  11.  22-24,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  mene,  scJiene; 
also  T  11.  145-48  and  157  and  Y  11.  37-40;  also  Y  11.  53-54  and  T  11.  163-64  with  the 
retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  fere. 

Also  I  pray  the  specyally,  God  graunte  me  happe  so  bat  I  myght 

Thou  graunt  me  grace  of  company.  Haue  grace  to  gete  goode  companye. 

To  wyt  what  this  starne  may  mene,  With  thy  sterne  schynyng  schene, 

That  has  me  led,  with  bemys  schene,  For  certis,  I  sail  noght  cease, 

Tille  I  witte  what  it  mene. 

lordyngs,    .     .     .     ._ Sirs,   with  j^oure  wille,   /  wolde  yow 

I  pray  you  tell  me  with  good  chere  praye 

wheder  ye  weynd,  on  this  manere,  To  telle  me  some  of  youre  entent, 

And  where  that  ye  haue  bene;  Whedir  ye  wende  forthe  in  this  waye. 

Good  sir,  what  cuntre  cam  ye  fra?  And  fro  what  contre  5e  are  wente. 

Noiv,  syrs,  syn  we  ar  semled  here.  Sir,  of  felashippe  are  we  fayne, 

I  rede  we  ryde  togeder,  in  fere.  Now  sail  we  wende  forth  all  in  feere. 

(3)  The  messenger,  returning  to  court,  is  reproached  for  his  long  absence. 
Herod's  wrath  is  turned  away  from  him,  however,  as  soon  as  he  learns  of  the  meeting 
of  the  three  kings,  who,  guided  only  by  a  star,  are  in  search  of  a  new-born  child.  See 
T  11.  259-89  and  Y  11.  73-96. 

(4)  Herod  inquires  into  the  reasons  for  the  journey  and  concludes  that  the  three 
kings  must,  indeed,  be  mad.  Compare  T  11.  385-86  and  Y  11.  106-8  for  verbal  similari- 
ties, with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  beforne,  borne;  also  T  11.  292-94  and  Y  II. 
110-13,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  lad,  mad. 

lord,  when  that  starne  rose  vs  beforne,         A  sterne  stod  vs  byforne, 
Ther  by  we  knew  that  chyld  was  borne.         That  makis  vs  speke  and  spir 

Of  ane  J)at  is  nowe  borne. 

And  certis,  unwitty  men  56  werre 
That  new  borne  lad.  To  lepe  ouere  lande  to  late  a  ladde. 

When  thare  wytt  in  a  sterne  shuld  be,         Say  when  lost  3e  hym?  ought  lange 

before? 
I  hold  thaym  mad.  All  wyse  men  will  wene  se  madde. 

(5)  The  prophecies  are  cited.  The  verbal  similarities  in  the  Balaam  and  Isaiah 
passages  are  close.  Compare  especially  T  U.  205-6  and  Y  11.  156-60,  with  the  reten- 
tion of  the  two  rhyme  words,  thyng  and  sprynge. 

Certan,  balaam  spekys  of  this  thj'ng,  For    Balaham    saide    a    starne  shulde 

spring 
That  of  lacob  a  starne  shall  spryng.  Of  Jacobe  kynde,  and  t'at  is  Jewes. 

Compare  also  T  U.  417-25  and  Y  11.  161-65,  with  the  retention  of  the  following  words: 
Isaia,  mayden,  shall,  bere,  Emanucll. 

(6)  On  the  pretext  of  wishing  to  pay  reverence  to  the  child,  Herod  allows  the 
three  kings  to  pass  on,  but  bids  them  come  again  on  their  way  back.  Compare  T  II. 
483-88  and  Y  11.  197-99  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  one  rhyme  word, 

,  tythyng  {tythande  in  Y). 

Bot  com  agane  with  me  to  leynd,  '      And  comes  agayne  Jjan  me  vntill, 


If  it  be  sothe,  this  new  tythyng.  And  telle  me  trulye  youre  tythande, 

Som  worship  wold  I  do  that  kyng.  To  worshippe  hym  J'at  is  my  will. 


58 


MARIE    C.  LYLE 


(7)  The  guiding  star  disappears  from  sight  and  the  three  kings  kneel  in  prayer 
begging  its  return.  Upon  its  reappearance,  it  stands  still  above  their  destination. 
Compare  T  11.  506-8  and  Y  11.  221-24  for  verbal  similarities. 

(8)  The  three  kings  make  their  respective  offerings.  Compare  Balthazar's 
speech,  especially,  for  verbal  similarities,  T  11.  555-58  and  Y  11.  284-88,  with  the  re- 
tention of  one  rhyme  word,  shalbe.     Compare  also  T  11.  541-42  and  Y  1.  277. 


In  tokyn  that  thou  dede  shalbe, 


To  thy  grauyng  this  myr  of  me 

Resaue  the  tyll. 

hayll  be  thou, 

That  boytt  of  all  oure  bayll  may  bryng. 


But  whan  thy  dedys  at  done  to  dye  is 

t)i  dette. 
And  sen  thy  body  beryed  shalbe, 
This  mirre  will  I  giffe  to  pi  grauyng. 


Ressauye  it 


Hayll!  barne  Jjat  is  best  oure  baylys  to 
bete. 


(9)  Mary  tells  of  the  miraculous  birth  of  her  son  and  gives  the  three  kings  her 
blessings. 

(10)  Because  of  weariness,  the  three  kings  lie  down.  An  angel  appears  to  them 
in  their  sleep  and  bids  them  return  home  another  way.  This  passage  is  verbally  and 
metrically  identical  in  both  plays.    Compare  T  11.  595-606  and  Y  11.  313-24. 


Syr  curtes  kyngys,  to  me  take  tent. 
And  turne  by  tyme  or  ye  be  tenyd; 
from  god  his  self  thus  am  I  sent 
To  warne  you,  as  youre  faythfull  freynd, 

how  herode  kyng  has  malyce  ment, 
And    shapys    with    shame    you  for    to 

sheynd; 
And  so  that  ye  no  harmes  hent. 
By  othere  ways  god  wyll  ye  weynd 
Into  youre  awne  cujitre; 
And  if  ye  ask  hym  boyn, 
for  this  dede  that  ye  haue  done, 
youre  beyld  ay  wyll  he  be. 


Nowe  curtayse  kynges,  to  me  take  tent, 
And  turne  betyme  or  ^e  be  tenyd, 
Fro  God  hym  selfe  pus  am  I  sent 
To    warne    yow,    als    youre   faithfull 

frende, 
Herowde  the  kyng  has  malise  ment. 
And    shapis    with    shame    yow  for    to 

shende. 
And  for  pat  ^e  non  harmes  shulde  hente, 
Be  othir  waies  God  will  ye  wende 
Euen  to  youre  awne  contre. 
And  yf  ^e  aske  hym  bone, 
Youre  beelde  ay  will  he  be, 
For  pis  pat  pe  haue  done. 


(11)  The  kings,  in  gratitude,  thank  God.    Compare  T  11.  614-16  and  Y  11.  325-28 
for  verbal  similarities,  wTth  the  retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  thre. 


with  hart  enterely  thank  I  the. 
That  thyn  angell  sent  tyll  vs  thre. 
And  kend  vs  so. 


A!  lorde,  I  loue  \)e  inwardly. 
Sirs,  God  has  gudly  warned  vs  thre, 
His  Aungell  her  now  herde  haue  I, 
And  how  he  saide. 


(12)  The  kings  separate  and  each  goes  his  own  way. 

The  following  differences  may  be  explained  by  assuming  that  the 
Towneley  play,  composed  in  the  "Burns"  measure,  a  metre  of  the  parent 
cycle,^^  represents  the  earlier  version  and  the  two  York  plays  later 
revisions  :^^ 

(1)  In  conforming  to  the  exigencies  of  the  rhyme  scheme  of  the  Northern  Sep- 
tenar  stanza,  extra  lines  were  apparently  inserted  by  York, 
(a)  Compare  Y  11.  22-24  and  T  11.  98-99. 

i»  See  above,  ch.  Ill,  50  ff. 

"The  similarities  with  true-Coventry,  as  pointed  out  by  Professor  Cady  {op.  cit.  PMLA  24:446  ff.) 
may  be  explained,  as  in  the  case  of  Joseph's  Trouble  (see  above,  p.  56),  by  assuming  that  true-Coventry 
came  into  contact  with  the  parent  play  or  a  subsequent  revision  of  it. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  59 


With  thy  Sterne  schynyng  schene,  To  wyt  what  this  starne  may  mene, 

For  certis,  I  sail  noght  cesse,  That  has  me  led,  with  bemys  shene 

Tille  I  witte  what  it  mene. 

(b)  Compare  Y  11.  106-8  and  T  11.  385-86. 

A  Sterne  stud  vs  byforne,  lord,  when  that  starne  rose  vs  beforne. 

That  makis  vs  speke  and  spir  Ther  by  we  knew  that  chyld  was  borne. 

Of  ane  J)at  is  nowe  borne. 

(2)  In  his  revision,  the  York  playwright,  apparently,  made  numerous  changes 
in  subject-matter.  In  some  cases,  he  added  new  material;  in  other  cases,  he  omitted 
certain  minor  details,  and  in  one  or  two  instances  even  changed  the  fundamental 
outline  of  the  plot.  Such  changes,  however,  are  of  slight  importance  and  may  be 
ascribed,  for  the  most  part,  to  one  of  two  principles,  either  a  desire  for  scriptural 
accuracy  or  an  attempt  at  a  more  realistic  portrayal  of  the  incidents. 

The  additions  in  the  two  York  plays  do  not  affect  the  main  outlines  of  the  plot; 
they  are  merely  minor  elaborations  of  essential  details  common  to  both  cycles. 

(a)  The  York  play  adds  a  new  character  in  the  person  of  Herod's  son,  who  appears 
in  connection  with  the  boasting  of  the  soldiers.  Herod  sings  their  praises  to  his 
youthful  son,  who,  in  turn,  boasts  that  he,  too,  will  kill  "bad  fellows." 

(b)  When  the  messenger  tells  Herod  that  the  three  kings  are  about  to  arrive  at 
court,  Herod,  evidently  to  inspire  in  them  a  feeling  of  awe,  arrays  himself  richly. 
This  is  undoubtedly  an  attempt  at  a  more  realistic  portrayal. 

(c)  The  three  York  kings,  in  addition  to  the  prophecies  quoted,  add  that  Jesus 
will  be  king  of  Judea  and  indeed  king  over  all  people.  Perhaps  this  is  an  attempt  at 
scriptural  accuracy,  since  the  same  answer  is  given  in  Matthew^''  and  the  Apocryphal 
Gospel  of  James.^^ 

(d)  Herod's  anger  is  more  pronounced  in  York  than  in  Towneley. 

(e)  Herod's  invitation  to  the  three  kings  to  return  again  that  way  is  preceded  by  the 
advice  of  his  counsellors  bidding  him  not  act  deceitfully.  After  the  departure  of 
the  kings,  Herod  rejoices  over  the  trap  prepared  for  them.  These  elaborations  are 
lacking  in  Towneley. 

(f)  An  additional  character  is  seen  in  the  maid  of  the  York  play,  who  stands  at 
the  door  of  the  stable  and  bids  the  kings  enter.  This  is  an  evident  attempt  at  a  more 
realistic  presentation. 

The  omissions  are,  for  the  most  part,  in  line  with  the  simpler  scriptural  account 
and  do  not  materially  affect  the  framework  of  the  play. 

(a)  The  York  Herod  does  not  impose  upon  his  subjects  the  worship  of  Mahomet 
as  does  the  Towneley  Herod. 

(b)  The  three  kings  in  the  York  play  do  not  go  into  so  much  detail  in  giving  the 
information  concerning  their  names,  realms,  and  purpose  in  coming,  as  do  the  Towne- 
ley kings. 

(c)  York  omits  the  recalling  of  Balaam's  prophecy  at  the  time  of  the  meeting  of 
the  kings  and  transfers  it  to  the  questioning  by  Herod. 

(d)  The  York  kings  do  not  discuss  the  significance  of  their  gifts  when  they  first 
meet,  or  the  possible  influence  of  astronomy  upon  the  appearance  of  the  guiding  star. 

(e)  The  adieux  of  the  Towneley  kings  are  long  and  elaborate,  whereas  the  fare- 
well speeches  of  the  York  kings  are  short. 

Differences  are  seen  in  the  following  instances.  Since,  however,  they  are  merely 
minor  details  with  which  two  of  the  chief  incidents  are  elaborated,  they  do  not  affect 
the  main  development  of  the  play. 

1'  Gospel  of  Matthew  ch.  II,  1-12. 

^*  Apocryphal  Gospel  of  James  ch.  XXI,  in  Cowper,  Apocryphal  Gospels. 


60  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

(a)  The  three  kings  appear  before  Herod,  not  at  the  messenger's  command  as  in 
Townelcy,  but  of  their  own  free-will,  thinking  that  perhaps  Herod  can  aid  them  in 
finding  the  child. 

(b)  The  prophecies  are  quoted  to  Herod  by  the  three  kings,  instead  of  by  the 
counsellors  from  their  learned  books,  as  in  Towneley.  Apparently,  this  is  an  attempt 
at  scriptural  accuracy,  since  in  the  Apocryphal  Gospel  of  James,  Herod  examines  the 
magi  concerning  the  meaning  of  the  star.^^ 

It  thus  seems  probable  that  the  single  play  which  is  noted  by  Burton 
in  his  1415  list^"  refers  to  the  play  now  extant  in  the  Towneley  cycle,  and 
that  the  two  plays,  which  are  entered  in  the  second  Burton  list^^  and 
referred  to  in  a  1431  record  of  the  Goldsmiths,^^  refer  to  the  two  pla^^s 
now  extant  in  the  York  cycle. 

It  may  still  be  asked  how  the  Towneley  play  came  to  include  the  single 
Northern  Septenar  strophe  in  which  the  angel  makes  his  appearance  and 
gives  the  warning  to  the  sleeping  kings.  According  to  Professor  Hohl- 
feld's  supposition,^^  it  was  incorporated  by  the  Towneley  playwright  who 
wrote  in  general  imitation  of  the  York  play.  Since  the  separation  of  the 
two  cycles  apparently  took  place  while  certain  plays  of  the  parent  cycle 
were  being  rewritten  in  the  Northern  Septenar  metre, ^^  it  may  be  that 
the  isolated  Northern  Septenar  strophe  represents  an  instance  in  which  a 
single  lyrical  passage  was  turned  into  the  newer  and  more  attractive  metre 
before  the  separation. 

The  Flight  into  Egypt 

The  Flight  into  Egypt  is  closely  connected  with  the  Massacre  and  is 
usually  included  as  one  of  its  incidents.  York  and  Towneley  alone  agree 
in  developing  it  into  a  separate  pla^?-  and  making  it  precede  the  Massacre?'" 

Close  similarities  in  structural  outlines  and  phraseology  exist : 

(1)  An  angel  awakens  Joseph  w'ho  wonders  at  its  sweet  voice.  Compare  T  11. 
1-13  and  Y  11.  37-42. 

Awake,  Joseph,  and  take  intentl  Wakyn,  Joseph!  and  take  entente! 

Thou  ryse,  and  sleep  nomare!  My  sawes  schall  seece  thy  sorowe  sare, 


flor  thou  shall  no  harmes  hent,  Be  noght  heuy,  Jai  happe  is  hentte, 


And  rew  it  wonder  sare.  ]3are-fore  I  bidde  Jae  slepe  no  mare. 

A!  myghtfull  god.  A!    myghtfull    lorde,    ivhat   euere   |3at 

What  euer  this  ment,  mente? 

so  swete  of  toyn?  So  swete  a  voyce  herde  I  neuere  ayre. 

!•  Cowper,  loc.  cil. 

»°  See  Burton's  1415  list  in  Smith,  op.  cil.  intro.  xxi. 
"  See  Davies,  Municipal  Records  of  the  City  of  York  app.  233. 

«'See  Sellers,  York  Memorandum  Book,  Surlees  Society  125:  123-24;  see  also  intro.  xlix. 
"Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:293. 
**  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  46. 

M  The  same  situation  is  seen  in  the  Beverley  list.     See  Beverley  Records,  Selden  Society;  Fiirnivall 
Miscellany  218;  Chambers,  op.  cil.  2:340. 


THE    YORK   AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES 


61 


(2)  The  angel  bids  him  not  fear;  that  he  is  an  angel  sent  to  warn  him  against 
Herod.    Compare  T  11.  40,  14-28  and  Y  11.  48-62. 


Ther  of  haue  thou  no  drede; 

lo  loseph,  it  is  I, 
An  angel  send  to  the. 

hens  behufys  the  hj', 
And  take  with  the  mary, 
ffor  herode  dos  to  dy 
All  knaue  chyldren,  securly, 
within  two  yere  that  be 
Of  eld, 

Where  may  we  heyld? 
Tyll  egypp  shall  thou  fare, 
with  all  the  myght  thou  may, 


Joseph,  haue  pou  no  drede, 

For  I  am  sente  to  pe, 

Gabriell,  goddis  aungell  bright, 

Is  comen  to  bidde  ]De  flee 

With  Marie  and  hir  worthy  wight ; 

For  Herowde  |3e  kyng  gars  doo  to  dede 
All  knave  childer  in  ilke  a  stede. 
With  )eris  twa 
Ipat  are  of  olde 

In  Egipte  shall  se  beelde, 
Tille  I  witte  J)e  for  to  saie. 


(3)  Joseph,  grieving  for  Mary,  tells  her  that  they  must  flee.  Compare  T  11.  55-8, 
62  and  Y  11.  84-6,  90.  Note  especially  the  following  verbal  similarities,  with  the  re- 
tention of  two  common  rhyme  words. 


Mary,  my  darlyng. 

A!  leyf  loseph,  what  chere? 

ffor-thi  behofes  us  fie. 


Mary,  my  doughter. 

A!  leyf  Joseph,  what  chere? 

Ther  is  noght  ellis  but  us  most  flee. 


(4)  Mary  can  not  understand  the  reason  for  the  flight.  Joseph  tells  her  of  the 
angel's  message,  and  she  laughs  and  trembles  in  her  fear.     Compare  T  11.  79-85  and 

Y  11.  103-7.     Note  especially  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  care  and  dare,  and  the 
verbal  similarity  in  the  line,  /  lurk  and  dare  (T  1.  83),  and  /  durk,  I  dare  (Y  1.  105). 

(5)  It  is  difficult  for  Mary  to  understand  wh}^  she  should  be  deprived  of  her  son. 
Compare  T  11.  79-88  and  Y  11.  137-43;  67-9;  156-58,  with  the  retention  of  five  rhyme 
words,  sare,  ill,  spill,  care,  bare. 

(6)  Joseph  begs  Mary  to  be  quiet,  saying  that  they  must  pack  their  "gere" 
immediately.  Compare  T  11.  114-16;  161;  41  and  Y  11.  147-50,  with  the  retention  of 
the  three  rhyme  words,  be,  dynne,  wynne  and  the  similar  phrases.  We!  leue  Marie  . . . 
lat  be;  leue  of  thy  dynne  (Y)  and  let  be  thy  dyn  (T);  also  T  11.  120-21  and  Y  11.  159-60, 
with  the  retention  of  the  common  rhyme  word,  gere,  and  the  common  use  of  the  fol- 
lowing words,  tytt,  pak  and  oure. 

(7)  Mary  complains  about  carrjdng  the  child.     Compare  T  11.  129-30;  133  and 

Y  11.  162-64,  with  the  retention  of  the  one  rhyme  word,  bere,  and  the  common  use  of 
the  words,  God  wote. 

Certain  York  passages  appear  to  be  verbal  expansions  of  simpler  Towne- 
ley  passages: 


A!  myghtfull  god. 
What  euer  this  ment, 

so  swete  of  toyn?    (T  11.  11-13) 


A!  myghtfull  lorde,   what    euere   |3at 

mente? 
So  swete  a  voyce  herde  I  neure  aj^re. 
But    what   arte   ^ou    with  steuen   so 

shylle, 

J)us  in  my  slepe  Jsat  spekis  me  till, 
To  me  appere, 
And  late  me  here 

What  l3at  tiou  was?    (Y  11.  41-47) 

(1)  The  lines  of  the  following  Townele}^  passage  have  been  split  into  separate 
parts  by  the  York  playwright  at  different  points  in  the  presentation: 


62 


MARIE   C.  LYLE 


My  son?  alas,  for  care! 

who  may  my  dollys  dyll? 
wo  \vorth  fals  herode  are ! 

my  son  why  shuld  he  spyll? 
Alas!  I  lurk  and  dare! 
To  slo  this  barne  I  bare, 

what  wight  in  warld  had  wyll? 
his  hart  shuld  be  full  sare 
Sichon  for  to  fare, 

That  neuer  yit  dyd  yll, 

Ne  thoght.     (T  11.  79-91) 


His  foo,  alias!  what  is  youre  reede, 
Wha  wolde  my  dere  barne  do  to  dede? 
I  durk,  I  dare, 
Whoo  may  my  care 

Of  balls  blynne?     (Y  11.  103-7) 
Alias!  why  schulde  I  tharne 
My  sone  his  lifle  so  sweete, 
His  harte  aught  to  be  ful  sare, 
On  slike  a  foode  hym  to  forfare, 
Jjat  nevir  did  ill 
Him  for  to  spille. 

And  he  ne  wate  why.     (Y  11  137- 
43) 
Alias !  what  ayles  hym  for  to  spille 
Smale  songe  barnes  ^at  neuere  did  ille 
In  worde  ne  dede.     (York  11.  67-69) 
Alas!  Joseph,  for  care! 
Why  shuld  I  forgo  hym, 
My   dere   barne   l^at    I    bare.     (Y  11. 
156-58) 

(2)  The  following  York  passage  shows  an  expansion  in  the  phraseology  of  the 
simpler  Towneley  passage: 


We!  leue  Marie,  do  way,  late  be, 
I  pray  \)e,  leue  of  thy  dynne. 
And  fande  |De  furthe  for  to  flee 
Away  with  hyme  for  to  wynne.     (Y 11. 
147-50) 


ffor-thi  let  be  thi  dyn 

And  cry. 
how  shall  we  theder  wyn?    (T  11.  114- 
16) 


(3)  In  his  command  to  Mary  to  make  ready  their  "gere,"  the  York  Joseph 
mentions  the  articles  which  he  must  carry,  whereas  no  mention  is  made  of  them  in  the 
Towneley  play. 


Ther  is  noght  els  to  say 

bot  tytt  pak  vp  oure  gere. 
120-21) 


(Til. 


J)at  swete  swayne  yf  t)Ou  saue, 
Do  tyte,  pakke  same  oure  gere. 
And  such  smale  harnes  as  we  haue. 

Bot  god  it  wote  I  muste  care  for  all. 
For  bed  and  bak, 
And  all  \)e  pakke 

J)at  nedis  vnto  vs, 
It  forthers  to  fene  me 
J)is  pakald  bere  me  bus, 
Of  all  I  plege  and  pleyne  me.       (Y  11.  159-70) 

Accordingly,  the  Towneley  play  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  an  imitation^^ 
or  adaptation"  of  an  earlier  York  play,  but  as  the  earlier  play  itself,  of 
which  the  York  play  represents  a  later  revision.  Thus,  the  revision  easily 
explains  the  difference  in  the  conception  of  Joseph's  character  in  the  two 
plays.  Joseph  in  the  York  play  is  not,  as  Professor  Cady  states.^^  entirely 
different  in  character  from  Joseph  in  the  Towneley  play;  he  is  not  "all 
sympathy  and  patience  with  Mary": 

(1)  At  the  beginning  of  the  play,  Joseph,  weak  and  weary,  bitterly  bemoans  his 
fate. 


"Hohlfeld.  op.  oil.  Anglia  11:293. 

*'  Gayley,  Plays  of  Our  Forefathers  134,  n.  1. 

»•  Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:449  ff. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  63 


(2)  In  strophe  eleven,  he  complains  about  making  the  trip: 

And  sertis  I  dred  me  sore 
To  make  my  smale  trippe, 
Or  tyme  t)at  I  come  |)are. 

(3)  A  certain  degree  of  ill-temper  and  impatience  with  Mary  appears  to  be  present 
in  the  abruptness  of  the  answers  vouchsafed  by  Joseph  in  strophes  14  and  IS.  Mary 
asks  where  they  are  going;  Joseph  replies  that  he  has  told  her  long  before:  "To 
Egipte  tald  I  ]pe  lang  are."  Mary  wishes  to  know  where  it  is,  and  we  can  imagine 
that  his  reply,  "what  wate  I?"  was  given  impatiently. 

(4)  In  the  last  strophe,  Joseph  thanks  God  for  granting  him  the  grace  of  being 
strong  again,  whereas  he  was  so  weak  before. 

Fundamentally,  then,  the  characters  of  the  two  Josephs  are  conceived 
in  the  same  vein:  both  are  old  and  weak;  both  dread  the  journey  and  make 
it  unwillingly;  both  "take  it  out"  on  their  wives.  The  denunciations  of 
the  one,  it  is  true,  are  much  more  bitter  than  those  of  the  other,  but  this 
may  be  due  to  the  differing  conceptions  of  the  two  playwrights,^^  and 
offers  no  real  objection  to  the  view  that  the  plays  were  originally  identical. 
The  York  situation  may  simply  be  a  part  of  that  general  movement, 
already  noted  in  the  Northern  Septenar  plays,^"  which  sought  to  give  a 
more  scriptural  and  reverential  tone.  In  accordance  with  this  view,  the 
York  playwright  would  naturally  soften  the  bitter  complaints  of  the 
Joseph  in  the  parent  play,  perhaps  now  represented  by  Towneley. 

Massacre  of  the  Innocents 

The  similarities  existing  between  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  the 
Massacre  occur  not  only  in  structural  outlines,  as  pointed  out  by  Professors 
Hohlfeld^^  and  Cady,^'  but  also  in  the  selection  and  arrangement  of  many 
details  and  in  verbal  agreement  in  isolated  passages. 

In  plot  development,  there  is  but  one  fundamental  difference,  that  of 
Herod's  attitude  when  he  learns  the  result  of  the  slaughter.  In  York,  he 
is  angry  because  of  Jesus'  escape,  but  in  Towneley,  believing  that  the 
child  has  been  slain,  he  rejoices  and  rewards  the  soldiers.  Except  for  this 
dift'erence,  the  Wakefield  author  merely  elaborates  or  makes  slight  additions 
to  incidents  presented  in  less  detail  in  the  York  play  -p 

Scene  I,  the  opening  scene  of  vaunting. 

(1)  The  Wakefield  author  makes  the  messenger,  singing  Herod's  praises,  precede 
his  entrance.     The  messenger,  however,  merely  repeats  or  amplifies  what  the  York 

-^  The  same  situation  is  seen  in  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  the  Conspiracy,  where  there  is  a 
divergent  development  of  Pilate's  character.  (See  below,  p.  78.)  In  this  case,  no  one  questions  the 
probability  that  the  Towneley  play  represents  an  earlier  York  version,  which  according  to  my  theory 
formed  a  part  of  the  parent  cycle. 

30  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  44  flf. 

"  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:293. 

'2  Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:451. 

MSee  Mrs.  Frank,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  15:181  ff. 


64 


MARIE   C.  LYLE 


Herod  says  in  his  opening  speech.  Each  one  calls  for  silence  and  "bowing  at  his 
bidding."  Note  especially  T  11.  10-16  and  Y  11.  6-16  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the 
retention  of  five  rhyme  words,  mahowne,  towne,  bowne,  bydyng,  lewte. 


Herode,  the  heynd  kyng/  by  grace  of 

mahowne, 
Of  lury,  lowrmontyng/  sternly  with 

crowne, 
On  lyfe  that  ar  lyfyng/  ijt  towre  and 

in  towne, 
Gracyus   you   gretyng/   commaundys 

you  be  bowne 
At  his  bydyng; 
luf  hym  with  lewte, 
drede  hym,  that  doughty! 


56  aught  to  dare  and  doute, 
And  lere  you  lowe  to  lowte 
To  me  youre  louely  lorde. 
56  awe  in  felde  and  towne 
To  bowe  at  my  bidding, 
With  reuerence  and  renoune 
As  fallis  for  swilk  a  kyng 
Jdc  lordlyest  on-lyue 
Who  her-to  is  noght  bowne, 
Be  all-myghty  mahounde 
To  dede  I  schall  hym  dryue! 


(2)  The  Towneley  Herod,  not  content  with  the  York  Herod's  assertion  that  he 
is  lord  of  every  land,  gives  a  long  list  of  the  lands  over  which  Herod  holds  dominion. 

(3)  The  Towneley  Herod,  as  in  the  York  version,  calls  for  silence,  and  speaking 
of  his  anxiety  concerning  the  three  kings,  asks  for  tidings,  and  is  told  by  the  messen- 
ger of  their  departure.  Compare  T  11.  145-47  and  Y  11.  100-2  for  verbal  similarities 
with  the  retention  of  the  two  rhyme  words,  past,  fast. 


Lord,  thynk  not  ill  if  I/tell  you  how 
thay  ar  past; 

An  othere  way  in  hy/  thay  soght,  and 
that  full  fast. 


I  sale  for  thay  are  past. 


3a,  lord,  in  faitht  ful  faste. 


Compare  also  T  11.  26-29  and  Y  11.  41-45  for  slight  reminiscences  in  phraseology. 

(4)  Herod,  thereupon,  vents  his  rage  upon  the  messenger.  This  scene  has  been 
elaborated  by  the  Wakefield  author,  but  there  can  still  be  traced  an  identity  in  certain 
words.    Compare  especially  T  11.  150,  163-64  and  Y  11.  106,  119,  125. 

ffy  on  the  dewill!  where  may  I  byde?  A!  dogges,  J)e  deuell  J)ou  spede. 


ffy,  losels  and  lyars!  lurdans  ilkone! 
Tratoures  and  well  wars!   .... 


Fy,  on  J)e  ladde,  J)ou  lyes! 

Thou  lyes!  false  traytoure  strange. 

(5)  Towneley  elaborates  the  boasting  of  the  knights  as  to  what  they  would  have 
done,  had  they  met  the  three  kings. 

Scene  II,  the  advice  of  the  counsellors. 

(1)  Herod  calls  his  council.  In  Towneley,  the  Wakefield  author  adds  Herod's 
command  to  have  his  clerks  search  through  Virgil,  Homer,  and  everywhere  else,  save 
in  legends,  also  in  Boece  and  other  tales,  but  not  in  service  books,  for  "this  talk  of  a 
maiden  and  a  child."  The  quoting  of  certain  prophecies  at  this  point  and  Herod's 
rage  because  of  the  information  given  by  them,  are  also  additions. 

(2)  With  the  counsellor's  suggestion  that  all  knave  children  under  two  years  of 
age  be  killed,  the  similarity  between  the  two  plays  is  resumed.  Compare  T  11.  254-56 
and  Y  11.  149-54  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  the  two  rhyme  words, 
dede,  stede,  and  the  use  of  the  common  phrases,  all  knaue  chyldren,  ilk  a  (othere  in  T) 
stede,  knyghtys. .  .hiddis  (ordeyn  in  T),thrtig  outtbedlam  {in  Bedlem  and  all  aboute  in  Y). 

(3)  Herod,  in  gratitude,  pledges  his  friendship.  Compare  T  1.  324,  ye  shall 
fynd  me  freyndly,  and  Y  1.  165,  ^e  shall  fynde  me  youre  frende.  The  incident  is  elab- 
orated in  Towneley  by  Herod's  rewarding  the  counsellor  with  a  gift  of  land  and 
castles  and  with  the  promise  of  making  him  pope  some  day. 


THE    YORK   AND    TOWNELEY    CYCLES  65 


Scene  III,  the  command  t9  kill  the  children. 

(1)  The  calling  of  the  soldiers  and  their  appearance  in  their  best  apparel  is  an 
elaboration  by  the  Wakefield  author.  Especially  significant  is  the  actual  command 
given  the  soldiers,  which,  fundamental  to  the  plot  development  of  both  plays,  occurs 
in  similar  phraseology.  Compare  T  11.  307-10  and  Y  11.  149-54,  with  the  retention  of 
the  two  rhyme  words,  aboute,  clowte. 

To  bedlem  loke  ye  go/  And  all  the  coste  Gars  gadir  in  grete  rowte 

aboute,  Youre  knyghtis  kene  be-lyue. 

All  knaue  chyldren  ye  slo/  and  lordys,  And  biddis  ^am  dynge  to  dede 

ye  shalbe  stoute;  All  knaue  childir  kepte  in  clowte. 

Of  yeres  if  they  be  two/  and  within,  In  Bedlem  and  all  aboute, 

of  all  that  rowte  To  layte  in  ilke  a  stede. 
On  lyfe  lyefe  none  of  tho/  that  lygys 

in  swedyll  clowte. 

The  willing  acquiescence  of  the  soldiers  is  another  similarity  to  note. 

Scene  IV,  the  killing  of  the  children. 

(1)  In  York,  two  children  are  seized  simultaneously  and  killed.  In  Towneley, 
three  children  are  seized  and  killed,  but  a  separate  incident  is  made  for  each  child. 
The  details  of  the  slaughter,  however,  are  unvaried  in  their  repetition,  following 
almost  exactly  the  order  of  incidents  portrayed  in  the  single  slaughter  scene  of  the 
two  children  in  York.  The  seizure  of  the  children  by  the  soldiers  occurs  first,  followed 
immediately  by  the  cries  of  the  mothers,  the  killing  of  the  children,  the  lamentations 
of  the  mothers  (each  of  these  incidents  is  repeated  for  both  the  second  and  third 
child  in  Towneley),  then  the  attacking  of  the  soldiers  by  the  infuriated  mothers,  and 
the  soldiers'  threat  to  tell  Herod  of  the  attack. 

Scene  V,  the  soldiers'  report  to  Herod  upon  the  results  of  the  slaughter. 

The  different  development,  in  the  two  cycles,  of  the  fifth  scene,^^  as  well 
as  the  other  differences  noted  above,  may  be  explained  by  assuming  that 
the  Towneley  play,  composed  in  the  characteristic  metre  of  the  Wakefield 
author,  represents  an  expanded  revision  of  the  parent  play,  now  extant 
presumably  in  York.^= 

The  Incredulity  of  Thomas 

The  Incredulity  of  Thomas  is  closely  connected  with  the  Peregrini  and 
is  usually  included  as  one  of  its  incidents,  but  York  and  Towneley  differ 
from  the  other  English  cycles  by  developing  it  into  a  separate  play.  Simi- 
larities exist  not  only  in  structural  outlines,  as  called  attention  to  by  Pro- 
fessor Cady,^^  but  also  in  the  use  of  minor  details  and  parallel  phraseology 
in  isolated  passages : 

(1)  The  assembled  disciples  mourn  Jesus'  crucifixion. 

(2)  Jesus  appears,  but  vanishes  immediately. 

'*  See  above,  p.  63. 

'5  Even  the  true-Coventry  play,  believed  to  have  the  same  liturgical  source  as  the  York  and  Towneley 
plays  (Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:451  f.)  differs  from  the  outline  followed  by  them:  (1)  the  preliminary 
scene  of  Herod's  vaunting  is  not  given;  (2)  Herod  calls  no  council,  but  suggests  the  slaughter  himself; 
(3)  the  soldiers  remonstrate  against  the  brutal  order;  (4)  the  lullabies  of  the  mothers  are  added;  (5)  Herod, 
hearing  of  the  flight,  starts  out  in  pursuit. 

»•  Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:464  ff. 


66 


MARIE   C.  LYLE 


(3)  Jesus  reappears,  tells  the  disciples  not  to  fear  him,  but  to  feel  his  flesh  and 
bones,  so  that  they  may  be  convinced  that  he  is  not  a  spirit.  Compare  T  1.  96 
and  Y  11.  31-32  for  verbal  similarities,  also  T  11.  94-99  and  Y  11.  46-48,  55-60,  with  the 
retention  of  five  rhyme  words,  se,  tre,  gone,  bone,  none,  and  other  similar  phrases. 


peasse  emangys  you  ever  ichon! 
it  is  I,  drede  you  noght. 

Thou  grauntt  vs  for  to  se 
The  self  body  and  the  same/ 
the  which  that  died  on  tre. 

That  was  wonte  with  you  to  gone/ 
and  dere  with  dede  you  boght. 
Grope  and  fele  flesh  and  bone/ 

Sich  thyng  has  goost  none/ 


Pees  vnto  yowe  euermore  myght  be, 
Drede  you  no^t,  for  I  am  hee. 

her  may  3e  see 
pe  same  body  Jiat  has  you  bought 
vppow  a  tre. 

For  yowe  Jjusgatis  Jjanne  haue  I  gone, 
Folous  me  grathely  euerilkone, 
And  se  Jjat  I  have  flessh  and  bone, 

Gropes  me  nowe. 
For  so  ne  has  sperite  none. 


(4)  Jesus  tells  the  disciples  to  look  at  his  wounds.    Compare  T  11.  100-3  and  Y  11. 
49-54,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  meet  and  feet. 


My  rysyng  fro  dede  to  lyfe/ 
shall  no  man  agane  moytt; 
Behold  my  woundes  fyfe/ 
thurgh  handys,  syde,  and  foytt. 


J)at  I  am  comen  30U  here  to  mete, 
Behald  and  se  myn  handis  and  feete, 
And  grathly  gropes  my  woundes  wete. 


(5)  Jesus  calls  for  meat  and  is  brought  honeycomb  and  fish.  Blessing  them,  he 
bids  the  disciples  eat  with  him. 

(6)  Jesus  tells  of  his  crucifixion. 

(7)  Jesus  gives  the  disciples  the  power  to  bind  and  loose.  Compare  T  11.  148-51 
and  Y  11.  89-96,  with  the  retention  of  three  rhyme  words,  me,  pauste,  be,  and  the  use 
of  other  similar  phrases. 


The  grace  of  the  holy  gost  to  wyn/ 

resaue  here  at  me; 

The  which  shall  neuer  blyn/ 

/  gif  you  here  pauste; 

whom  in  erth  ye  lowse  of  syn/ 

in  heuen  lowsyd  shall  be. 

And  whom  in  erthe  ye  bynd  therin/ 

In  heuen  bonden  be  he. 


And  vnto  30U  pe  holy  goste 

Releffe  yaw  here. 
Beis  now  trewe  and  trowes  in  me. 
And  here  I  graunte  youe  in  youre  poste, 
Whome  |)at  ^e  bynde  bounden  schall  be 

And  whome  l^at  ^e  lesid  losed  schalbe 

Euer  more  in  heuene. 


(8)  Thomas,  mourning  outside  the  chamber  door,  recalls  the  pains  suffered  by 
Jesus. 

(9)  Thomas  enters  the  chamber  where  the  disciples  are  assembled,  and  Peter 
tells  him  that  they  have  seen  Jesus. 

(10)  Thomas  is  incredulous,  but  the  disciples  insist  that  Jesus  rose  the  third  day 
and  that  he  showed  them  his  wounds.  Compare  T  11.  188-90  and  Y  11.  139-41,  with 
the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  lyue  and  fyue,  and  the  use  of  the  common  phrase, 
his  woundes  fyue.  Thomas  believes  that  they  were  deluded  by  a  spirit,  but  the  disciples 
declare  that  no  ghost  could  possess  the  flesh  and  bones  which  they  actually  felt. 
Compare  T  11.  220-22  and  Y  11.  151-56,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  bone 
and  none,  and  the  use  of  similar  phrases. 


Thomas,  vnto  the  anone/ 
herto  answere  I  will; 
Man  has  both  flesh  and  hone/ 
hu,  hyde,  and  hore  thertill; 
sich  thyng  has  goost  none/ 
thomas,  lo,  here  thi  skyll. 


Nay  Thomas,  Jiou  haste  misgone, 
For-why  he  bad  vs  euerilkon 
To  grope  hym  grathely,  bloode  and 
bone 

A  nd  flessh  to  f eele. 
Such  thyngis,  Thomas,  hase  sperit  none, 

|)at  wote  se  wele. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  67 

Yet  again,  the  disciples  insist  that  they  saw  and  felt  the  wounds.  Compare  T  11.  276- 
79  and  Y  11.  163-68  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  three  rhyme  words, 
seene,  mene,  betwene. 

ffor  we  say  that  we  haue  sene/  Are  schalle  I  trowe  no  tales  betwene. 

thou  holdys  vs  wars  then  woode;  Thomas,  l)at  wounde  haue  we  seene. 

Ihesu  lyfyng  stod  vs  betwene/ 


i  say  ye  wote  neuer  what  ye  mene  I  3a,  ^e  wotte  neuere  what  ^e  mene, 

youre  witte  it  wantis. 

Nevertheless,  Thomas  still  doubts,  saying  that  he  will  not  be  convinced  until  he,  him- 
self, has  felt  the  wounds. 

(11)  Jesus  appears  a  third  time  and  bids  Thomas  feel  his  side. 

(12)  Thomas  beUeves  and  cries  for  mercy.  Compare  T  11.  316-19  and  Y  II.  181- 
86  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  three  rhyme  words,  me,  se,  the. 

Mercy,  ihesu,  rew  on  me/  Mi  lorde,  my  god,  full  wele  is  me, 

my  hande  is  blody  of  thi  blode!  A!  blode  of  price!  blessid  mote  Jjou  be, 

Mercy,  ihesu,  for  I  se/  Mankynd  in  erth,  behold  and  see 

Mercy,  ihesu,  I  pray  the/  Mercy,  nowe  lorde  ax  I  the. 

(13)  Jesus  tells  Thomas  that  they  who  have  not  seen  and  yet  believe  are  more 
blessed  than  they  who  have  to  see  in  order  to  believe. 

The  York  play,  composed  in  a  metre  of  the  parent  cycle,  the  "Burns" 
strophe,  probably  represents  the  parent  play,  of  which  the  extant  Towneley 
play  is  a  later  revision.  Thus,  the  differences  between  the  two  plays  may 
be  explained. 

(1)  The  Towneley  play  not  only  includes  all  of  the  incidents  contained  in  York 
but  adds  to  them: 

(a)  Peter's  remorse  over  his  denial  of  Jesus  is  added. 

(b)  After  Jesus  has  given  the  disciples  the  power  to  bind  and  loose,  contained 
in  both  versions,  the  Towneley  apostles  express  a  desire  for  greater  stabiHty  of  thought, 
and  exult  because  of  Jesus'  triumph  over  death. 

(c)  Additional  arguments  to  convince  Thomas  are  given  in  Towneley. 

(d)  The  Towneley  Thomas  makes  a  greater  show  of  repentance.  He  even  flings 
away  his  staff,  hat,  mantle,  gay  girdle,  silk  purse,  and  coat,  in  order  that  he  may  the 
sooner  gain  Jesus'  mercy. 

(e)  The  incident  at  the  beginning  of  the  play,  where  Mary  Jvlagdalene  appears 
with  the  news  of  the  Resurrection,  may  also  be  an  addition,  but  since  it  occurs  in  the 
rime  couee,  it  is  more  likely  that  it  represents  a  part  of  the  parent  cycle,  perhaps  at  an 
eariier  stage  than  that  represented  by  the  "Burns"  measure. 

(2)  The  further  elaboration  of  the  Towneley  play  may  also  be  seen  in  the  verbal 
expansion  of  certain  strophes. 

(a)  Compare  Y  11.  49-50  and  T  11.  100-1. 

l^at  I  am  comen  30U  here  to  mete,  My  rysyng  fro  dede  to  h^fe/ 

Behalde  and  se  myji  handis  and  feete.  shall  no  man  agane  moytt; 


Behold  my  woundes  fyfe/ 
thurgh  handys,  syde,  and  foytt. 


(b)   Compare  Y  11.  91-93  and  T  II.  148-51. 


68 


MARIE   C.  LYLE 


Beis  now  trewe  and  trowes  in  me, 
And  here  I  graunte  youe  in  youre 

postc, 
Whome  ^3.1  5e  bynde  bounden  schall  be. 


resaue  here  at  me; 

The  which  shall  neuer  blyn/ 

I  gif  you  here  pauste; 

Whom  in  erth  ye  lowse  of  syn/ 

in  heuen  lowsyd  shall  be. 


(c)   Compare  Y  11.  163-65  and  T  11.  276-79. 


Are  schalle  I  trowe  no  tales  betwene. 
Thomas,  pat  wounde  haue  -we  seene. 
5a,  ^e  wotte  neure  what  )e  mene. 


ffor  we  say  that  we  haue  sene 
thou  holdys  vs  wars  then  woods; 
Ihesu  lyfyng  stod  vs  betwene/ 
oure  lord  that  with  us  yode. 
I  say  ye  wote  neuer  what  ye  mene. 


The  Creation  Group 

The  Fall  oj  the  Angels. — Structural  and  verbal  similarities  exist  between 
the  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  the  Fall  of  the  Angels: 

(1)  The  introduction  by  God.     Compare  especially  T  11.  1,  7,  2,  SandYll.  1,2,4, 
8  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  begynnyng  and  endyng. 


Ego  sum  alpha  et  o. 
I  am  without  begynnyng. 


Ego  sum  Alpha  et  O.  vita  via 

I  am  gracyus  and  grete,  god  withoutyn 
begynnyng. 


7  am  the  ^r5/,  the  last  also.  7  aw  formaste  and /jr^/e,   .    .    . 

My  godhede  hath  none  endyng.  Vne[n]dande  withoutyn  any  endyng. 

(2)  God  decides  to  create  heaven,  earth,  and  the  angels.  Compare  Til.  13-18  and 
Y  11.  9-19  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  four  rhyme  words,  7ioght,  will, 
fulfill,  might. 


Sen  I  am  maker  vnmade,  and  most  so 
of  mighte, 

And  all  sail  be  made  euen  of  noghte. 
But  onely  Jdc  worthely  warke  of  my 

wyll 
In  my  sprete  sail  enspyre  \>e  mighte 

of  me. 
And  in  i)e  fyrste,  faythely,  my  thoghts 

to  fulfyll. 

(3)  Lucifer  is  made  the  chief  of  the  angels.    Compare  T  11.  71-72  and  Y  1.  36  for 
verbal  similarities. 


All  maner  thyng  is  in  my  thoght, 
Withoutten  me  ther  may  be  noght, 
hit  shall  be  done  after  my  will. 


that  I  haue  thoght  I  shall  fulfill 
And  manteyn  with  my  might. 


He  may  well  hight  lucifere, 
flfor  lufly  light  that  he  doth  bere. 


I   name  '^e  for  Lucifer,   als  bearer  of 
lyghte. 


(4)  The  cherubim  praise  God  for  the  work  of  creation.  Compare  T  11.  67-76  and 
Y  11.  41-44  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  mighte  and 
noghte. 

Lord,  thou  art  full  mych  of  might, 
that  has  maide  lucifer  so  bright; 


We  lofe  the,  lord,  with  all  oure  thoght, 
that  sich  thyng  can  make  of  noght. 


A!  mercyfull  maker,  full  mekill  es  t)i 

mighte, 
t)at  all  this  warke  at  a  worde  worthely 

has  wroghte. 
Ay  loved  be  pat  lufly  lorde  of  his  lighte, 
That  vs  thus  mighty    has    made,    J)at 

nowe  was  righte  noghte. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  69 


(5)  Lucifer  boasts  of  his  strength  and  beauty.     Compare  T  11.  83-96  and  Y  11. 
49-83,  also  Play  VI,  1.  7  for  verbal  similarities. 

of  me  commys  all  this  light.  All  the  myrthe  J)at  es  made  es  markide 

this  gam  and  all  this  gle;  in  me, 

Fro  thaym  is  loste  bot)e  game  and  glee 


My  myrth  is  most  of  all.  I  am  so  mightyly  made  my  mirth  may 

noghte  mys. 

(6)  Still  boasting,  Lucifer  seats  himself  on  God's  throne. 

(7)  Without  apparent  intervention,  Lucifer  falls. 

(8)  The  devils  cry  out  in  terror  as  they  fall." 

(9)  The  devils  lament  in  hell  and  reproach  Lucifer  as  the  cause  of  their  fall. 

These  similarities,  as  well  as  certain  additions  and  omissions  made  in 
common  by  York  and  Towneley,  may  be  explained  by  assuming  that  the 
extant  Towneley  play  represents  the  parent  play  and  that  the  extant 
York  play  represents  a  later  revision  of  it. 

(1)  Both  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  provide  for  the  creation  of  the  earth 
before  the  fall  of  the  angels.  Although  the  developments  of  the  two  scenes  do  not 
resemble  each  other,  the  difference  may  be  adequately  explained  by  the  later  revision 
of  the  York  play.  The  mention  in  York  of  the  creation  of  earth  with  that  of  heaven 
seems  to  be  a  reminiscence  of  the  detailed  account  of  the  creation  of  earth  day  by 
day,  given  at  the  same  point  in  the  supposed  parent  play,  now  preserved  presumably 
in  the  Towneley  cycle. 

(2)  The  confusion  in  the  York  play,  at  the  point  where  God  grants  to  his  angels 
not  only  heaven  but  earth  also,  and  this  before  the  creation  of  earth,  is  to  be  regarded 
as  an  indication  of  its  earlier  position  in  the  parent  cycle,  which  in  spite  of  the  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  York  playwright  to  conform  to  the  correct  chronology  of  the  inci- 
dents, was  carried  over  into  his  revision.     See  11.  22-30. 

(3)  The  failure  of  God  to  appear  at  the  time  of  Lucifer's  defiance  in  order  to 
give  the  command  to  fall  is  in  keeping  with  the  Genesis  and  Exodus  account,^^  and  is 
therefore  another  indication  that  York  in  its  revision  still  made  use  of  the  parent  play, 
preserved  in  Towneley. 

(4)  The  crying  out  of  the  devils  as  they  fall  assumes  significance  because  of  its 
absence  in  the  other  English  plays.  The  actual  crying  out  of  the  devils  in  the  York 
play  represents  a  more  developed  stage  in  dramatic  technique  than  the  stage  direc- 
tions of  the  Towneley  play. 

(5)  One  York  passage  appears  to  be  an  expansion  of  one  of  the  Towneley  couplets. 
Compare  T  11.  7-8  and  Y  11.  1-8. 

I  am  without  begynnyng,  I  am  gracyus  and  grete,  god  withoutyn 

My  godhede  hath  none  endyng.  begynnyng, 

I  am  maker  vnmade,  all  mighte  es  in 

me, 
I  am  lyfe  and  way  vnto  welth  wynnyng, 
I  am  formaste  and  fyrste,  als  I  bid  sail 

it  be. 
My  blyssyng  o  ble  sail  be  blendyng, 
And  heldand  fro  harme  to  be  hydande, 
My  body  in  blys  ay  abydande 
Vne[n]dande  withoutyn  any  endyng. 

"  Merely  a  stage  direction  in  Towneley,  Pollard's  edition,  EETSES  71:5. 
38  Genesis  and  Exodus  (ed.  Morris)  EETS  7:12. 


70  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

The  Creation  to  the  Fifth  Day. — Among  the  English  cycles,  little  or  no 
elaboration  of  incidents  is  seen  in  the  Creation  to  the  Fifth  Day.  The  same 
incidents  are  treated  in  all,  and  York,  Towneley,  and  Chester  agree  in 
isolated  phrases.^^ 

The  similarity  is  somewhat  closer  in  York  and  Towneley,  however. 

(1)  The  phraseology  in  two  passages  is  closer  than  in  Chester: 

(1)  Compare  T  11.  40-41,  Y  11.  30-32,  Ch  p.  21,  where  the  two  rhyme  words,  be 
and  see,  are  common  to  York  and  Towneley,  but  do  not  occur  in  Chester. 

(2)  Compare  T  11.  52-3,  Y  11.  7-8  (Play  III),  Ch  p.  21,  where  one  rhyme  word, 
night,  is  common  to  York  and  Towneley,  but  not  used  in  Chester. 

(2)  York  and  Towneley  mention  two  details  not  found  in  Chester: 

(1)  In  York  and  Towneley,  God  remarks  upon  the  work  which  he  has  undertaken: 
in  Towneley,  he  expresses  his  satisfaction,  (1.  42) ;  in  York,  he  speaks  of  the  difficulty 
of  the  work  (1.  27). 

(2)  In  York  and  Towneley,  God  blesses  his  work  when  all  is  finished.  See  T  11. 
59-60  and  Y  1.  86. 

In  my  hlyssyng,  wax  now  ye;  My  hlyssyng  haue  5e  all; 

This  is  the  fyft  day.  the  fifi  day  endyd  es. 

These  similarities,  slight  as  they  are,  may  indicate  that  York  and 
Towneley  were  originally  identical,  and  the  agreements  and  disagreements 
with  Chester  may  be  explained  by  assuming  that  Chester  came  into  con- 
tact with  the  parent  play. 

Creation  of  Adam  and  Eve  and  Their  Establishment  in  Paradise. — • 
Because  of  close  connection  in  subject-matter,  the  Creation  of  Adam  and 
Eve  and  their  Establishment  in  Paradise  will  be  considered  together.  Certain 
verbal  parallels  between  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  may  be  pointed  out : 

(1)  Compare  T  11.  165-66  and  Y  PI.  Ill,  11.  21-23  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the 
retention  of  the  two  rhyme  words,  liknes  and  less. 

now  make  we  man  to  oure  liknes.  To  keepe  Jjis  worlde  bothe  more  and 

that  shall  be  keper  of  more  &  les.  lesse 

A  skylfull  beeste  l^an  will  y  make, 
Aftir  my  shappe  and  my  likeness. 

(2)  Compare  T  11.  174-81  and  Y  PL  IV,  11.  1-12  for  verbal  reminiscences,  with 
the  retention  of  the  three  rhyme  words,  wise,  paradise,  place. 

I  gif  the  witt,  I  gif  the  strenght,  Adam  and  Eve,  this  is  the  place 

of  all  thou  sees,  of  brede  &  lengthe;  That  I  haue  graunte  you  of  my  grace 

thou  shall  be  wonder  wise.  To  haue  your  wonnyng  in; 

Myrth  and  loy  to  haue  at  ivill,  Erbes,  spyce,  frute  on  tree, 

All  thi  likyng  to  fulfill,  Beastes,  fewles,  all  that  ye  see, 

and  dwell  in  paradise.  Shall  bowe  to  you,  more  and  myn. 

This  I  make  thi  wonnyng  playce,  This  place  hight  paradyce, 

fful  of  myrth  and  of  solace.  Here  shall  your  joys  begynne. 

And  yf  that  ye  be  wyse, 
Frome  thys  tharr  ye  never  twynne. 
All  your  wyll  here  shall  ye  haue. 

»•  Similarities  occur  in  TIL  31-32.  Y  11.  19-20,  Ch  p.  20;  Til.  37-39,  Y  11.  27-29.  Ch  p.  21;  T  11.  43-45, 
Y  11.  33-36,  Ch  p.  21. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  71 

(3)  Compare  T  11.  198-99  and  Y  PL  IV,  11.  83-84  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the 
retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  wife  and  life. 

Heris  thou  adam,  and  eiie  thi  wife,  Thys  tre  that  beres  the  Fruyte  of  Lyfe, 

I  forbede  you  the  tre  of  life.  Luke  nother  thowe  nor  Eve  thy  wyf. 

Moreover,  York  and  Towneley  repeat  the  command  not  to  eat  of  the 
tree  of  life.  This  repetition  is  not  necessary  to  the  action,  and  since  it  does 
not  occur  in  the  other  English  plays,  its  presence,  together  with  the  verbal 
parallels,  may  be  regarded  as  significant. 

The  Temptation. — Lucifer's  speech,  in  which  he  plans  to  betray  mankind, 
occurring  just  before  the  gap  in  Towneley  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifth 
play  in  York,  seems  to  indicate  a  further  similarity.  The  gap  in  the  manu- 
script occurs  in  the  midst  of  the  speech  where  Lucifer  states  his  intention 
of  betraying  man.  Both  Professor  Hohlfeld^*^  and  Mr.  Pollard^^  think  that 
this  formed  the  beginning  of  the  temptation,  which  together  with  the 
expulsion,  they  suggest,  originally  formed  a  part  of  the  play. 

The  similarities  in  details  and  phraseology  between  the  Creation  plays 
of  the  two  cycles  may  best  be  accounted  for  by  supposing  that  Towneley 
preserves  the  text  of  the  parent  play  and  that  York  represents  later  revisions 
of  it.  The  difference  in  the  order  of  incidents  as  presented  in  Towneley, 
where  the  Fall  of  the  Angels  is  embedded  in  the  midst  of  the  Creation 
scenes,  and  in  York,  where  it  precedes  the  Creation  scenes,  may  at  first 
appear  to  contradict  this  assumption,  but  it  is  fully  explained  by  the  fact 
that  Towneley  gives  the  arrangement  of  earlier  vernacular  literature,  such 
as  the  Middle  English  Genesis  and  Exodus*"^  and  Comestor's  Historia 
Scholastic  a, '^^  and  that  the  York  play  follows  the  usual  order  of  cyclical 
plays.  The  divergence  between  the  two  cycles,  therefore,  becomes  not  an 
inconsistency,^^  but  a  logical  development  entirely  consistent  with  the  York 
practice  of  revising  according  to  Scripture  and  chronology .^^  Moreover, 
Towneley  represents  an  earlier  stage  in  cyclical  development  than  York, 
since  it  includes  in  one  play  and  composed  in  two  simple  metres,  the 
couplet,  and  the  rime  couee,  incidents  which  are  expanded  by  York  into 
six  plays,  some  of  which  are  written  in  complicated  stanzaic  forms. 

Prophetic  Prologue  to  the  Annunciation 

Similarities  in  details  and  phraseology  occur  in  the  York  and  Towneley 
Prologues  to  the  Annunciation: 

*o  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:287. 
«  Pollard,  op.  cit.  EETSES  71:9,  n. 
<2  Morris,  loc.  cit. 

"  Comestor,  Historia  Scholastica,  Migne  Pat.  xcviii. 

"So  considered  by  Professor  Cady,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  10:597,  who  concluded  that  the  plays  "were 
evidently  added  to  each  of  these  two  cycles  at  a  period  when  they  were  no  longer  connected." 
**  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  44. 


72 


MARIE   C.  LYLE 


(1)  Adam's  fall  is  reviewed  by  an  expositor.     Adam,  in  innocence,  was  placed 
in  paradise  to  enjoy  it,  but  upon  sinning  was  expelled  and  forced  to  suffer  sorrow  in 
After  a  long  period,  however,  God  is  willing  to  grant  him  grace.     Compare 
1-20  and  Y  11.  1-12  for  verbal  similarities,  noting  especially  T  11.  7,  11,  8  and  Y  11. 
11,  and  12. 

Then  I  hym  put  out  of  that  place.  And  was  piitte  oute  fro  paradys. 

ffor  he  has  boght  his  syn  full  sore.  And   sithen   what   sorouse   sor   warre 


hell, 
Til 
6,  7 


And   sithen 
sene. 


Bot  yit,  I  myn,  I  hight  hym  grace. 


Tille  god  graunted  Jjam  grace 
Of  helpe,  als  he  hadde  hyght. 


(2)  In  order  to  deceive  the  fiend,  God  decides  to  have  his  Son  assume  manhood 
through  a  maiden  of  Abraham's  line,  thus  fulfilling  the  promise  made  in  olden  days 
to  Abraham.    Compare  T  11.  30,  35-36  and  Y  11.  20-24  for  verbal  similarities. 

(3)  Other  prophecies  besides  that  of  Isaiah  are  mentioned.  Some  of  the  York 
prophecies  are  found  paralleled  in  the  Towneley  cycle,  not  in  the  prologue  to  the 
Annunciation,  as  we  should  expect  to  find,  but  in  the  single  quatrains  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Doctor's  play.     Compare  T  11.  1-4  and  Y  11.  61-64. 

Compare  also  T  11.  9-12  and  Y  11.  13-16  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention 
of  two  rhj^me  words,  neven  and  steuen. 


Masters,  youre  resons  ar  right  good. 
And  wonderfuU  to  neven, 
Yit  fynde  I  more  b}'-  abacuk; 
Syrs,  lysten  a  whyle  vnto  my  steuen. 


Jjan  is  it  nedfull  for  to  neven. 

How  prophettis  all  goddis  counsailes 

kende, 
Als  prophet  Amos  in  his  steuen, 
Lered  whils  he  in  his  liflfe  gun  lende. 


Compare  also  T  11.  13-21  and  Y  11.  73-9  for  verbal  similarities. 


Oure  bayll,  he  says,  shall  turn  to  boytt, 
her-afterward  som  day; 
A  -wande  shall  spryng  fro  lesse  roytt, — 
The  certan  sothe  thus  can  he  say, — 
And  of  that  wande  shall  spryng  a  floure, 

And  therapon  shall  rest  and  lyght 
The  holy  ghost,  full  mych  of  myght. 

(4)  Gabriel  is  sent  to  the  virgin  Mary. 


More  of  |)is  maiden  me  meves  [he], 
This  prophett  sais  for  oure  socoure, 
A  wande  sail  brede  of  Jesse  boure; 
And  of  Jais  same  also  sais  hee, 
Vpponne    pat    wande    sail    springe    a 
floure, 

Wher-on  pe  haly  gast  sail  be. 
Compare  T  11.  53-60,  76  and  Y  11.  135-41 


for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  Galile  and  be  {by  in  T). 


Ryse  vp,  gabriell,  and  weynd 
vnto  a  maydn  that  is  heynd. 
To  nazareth  in  galilee, 
Ther  she  dwellys  in  that  cytee. 
To  a  man  of  dauid  house, 
loseph  also  he  is  namyd  by, 


'Fro  God  in  heuen  es  sent,'  sais  he, 

'An  aungell  is  named  Gabriell 

To  Nazareth  in  Galale, 

Where  Jjan  a  mayden  mjdde  gon  dwell, 

Jaat  with  Joseph  suld  wedded  beJ 


Grayth  the  gabriell,  and  weynd.  To  god  his  grace  laan  grayd. 

Undoubtedly,  the  terse,  narrative  account  in  the  Towneley  couplets 
represents,  in  part,  the  parent  play,  and  the  Northern  Septenar  redaction 
in  York^^  a  later  revision  of  it.     In  the  Towneley  Prologue,  the  expositor 

«« Hemingway  (English  Kalivily  Plays  intro.  xliv)  suggests  a  closer  similarity  between  the  Towneley 
Prologue  and  the  Prologue  to  the  Hegge  play  in  which  the  Daughters  of  God  plead  the  cause  of  man  than 
seems  apparent  upon  closer  examination.  He  does  not  consider  the  parallel  in  the  York  cycle.  Nor  are 
the  similarities  with  true-Coventry  (Cady.  op.  cil.  PMLA  24:435)  as  close  as  those  between  York  and 
Towneley. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY  CYCLES  73 

merely  mentions  the  names  of  the  prophets,  whereas  the  actual  prophecies 
are  given  in  York.  The  revision  also  explains  the  additional  prophetic 
material  in  the  York  play  and  the  difference  in  the  list  of  prophets  cited. 

The  Shepherds 

Common  rhymes  are  found  in  the  following  passages    of  the  York, 
Towneley,  and  true-Coventry  plays  of  the  Shepherds: 

(1)  Compare  T  XIII,  693-95,  Y  73-75,  TC  300-1  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the 
retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  borne  and  morne. 

.     .     .     .       and  prophetys    A  babe  in  Bedlem  shulde  be    For  thys  same  morne 

beforne,  borne,  Godis  Sun  ys  borne 

Thay  desyryd  to  haue  sene  Of  whom  Jjan  spake  oure  In  Bedlem  of  a  meydin  fre. 
this  chylde  that  is  borne.  prophicie  trewe. 

And  bad  us  mete  hym  l^are 
l)is  morne. 

(2)  Compare  T  XIII,  665-66,  Y  129-31  for  verbal  similarities  with  the  retention 
of  two  rhyme  words,  gang  and  lang. 

To  bedlem  he  bad  that  we  shuld  gang,  God  graunte  vs  levyng  lange, 

I  am  full  fard  that  we  tary  to  lang.  And  go  we  hame  agayne. 

And  make  mirthe  as  we  gange. 

(3)  Compare  T  XIII  659,  Y  56,  TC  268  for  verbal  similarities  with  the  retention 
of  the  rhyme  word,  emong. 

flfor  to  syng  vs  emong.  Itt  menes  some  meruayle  vs  myrth  and  solas  ys  cum  hus 
emang.  among. 

(4)  Compare  T  XII  341,  TC  247-50  for  verbal  similarities  with  the  retention  of 
two  rhyme  words,  told  and  wold. 

Also  Isay  says  oure  faders  vs  told,  .    .    .    now  ys  cum  the  tyme  that  old 
That  a  vyrgyn  shuld  pas  of  lesse,  that  fathers  hath  told 

wold  

Bryng  furth A  chyld  of  mej^dj-n  borne  be  he  wold. 

(5)  Compare  T  XIII  710-11,  TC  307-9  for  verbal  similarities  with  the  retention 
of  two  rhyme  words,  mylde  and  chylde. 

hayll,  3^ong  child!  Hayle,    mayde-modur    and    wj^ff    soo 

hayll,  maker,  as  I  meyne,  myld! 

of  a  madyn  so  mylde!  

I  haue  nothyng  to  present  with  thi 
chylde. 

(6)  Compare  Y  93,  TC  315  for  verbal  similarities  with  the  retention  of  the  rhyme 
word,  layde. 

Loo!  whare  t^at  lorde  is  layde.  For  in  a  pore  loggyn  here  art  thow 

leyde. 

(7)  Compare  Y  40-2,  TC  243-5  for  verbal  similarities  with  the  retention  of  the 
rhyme  word,  sight. 

Steppe  furth  and  stande  by  me  right,         Whatt  thj^ng  ys  yondur  thatt 
And  tell  me  |3an  schjmith  soo  bryght? 

Yf  J)ou  sawe  euere  swilke  a  sight.  

Yett  sawe  I  nejaier  soche  a  syght. 


74  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

Professor  Cady  ascribes  such  passages  of  verbal  similarity  to  the  use 
of  a  common  liturgical  source.^'^  but  the  presence  of  common  rhymes 
seems  rather  to  indicate  the  existence  of  a  parent  play,  of  which  perhaps 
the  three  extant  plays  represent  later  revisions.  Certainly,  the  two  Towne- 
ley  plays,  which  occur  in  the  characteristic  metre  of  the  Wakefield  author, 
were  composed  after  the  separation  of  the  two  cycles,^^  as  perhaps  also 
the  York  play  in  the  Northern  Septenar/^  Accordingly,  the  numerous 
differences  in  these  plays  are  adequately  explained. 

York  and  Towneley  further  agree  in  two  minor  details  wherein  true- 
Coventry  differs:  (1)  in  the  emphasis  placed  upon  the  citation  of  prophecies 
and  (2)  in  the  mention  of  a  "cracked"  voice^"  as  the  reason  for  the  shepherd's 
failure  in  imitating  the  angels'  voices. 

John  the  Baptist 

A  similarity  between  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  John  the  Baptist, 
contrary  to  Professor  Hohlfeld's  conclusions^  that  none  existed,  becomes 
apparent  when  the  two  plays  are  compared,  as  in  the  following  outline,^^ 
with  the  simpler  Ludus  Coventriae  play. 

(1)  Since  John  in  Ludus  Coventriae  does  not  mention  any  of  the  following  points 
in  his  opening  speech,  their  occurrence  in  both  York  and  Towneley  appears  significant, 
especially  in  the  light  of  certain  verbal  similarities. 

(a)  The  people  have  wondered  as  to  the  possibility  of  John's  being  the  Christ 
(Towneley)  or  a  prophet  (York). 

(b)  John  says  that  he  can  use  only  water  for  baptism,  but  that  Jesus  can  use  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Compare  T  11.  41-46  and  Y  11.  8-14  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  reten- 
tion of  one  rhyme  word,  gaste. 

In  water  clere  then  baptyse  I  When  I  haue,  lord,  in  the  name  of  the 

The  pepyll  that  ar  in  this  coste;  Baptiste  ^e  folke  in  watir  clere, 

Bot  he  shall  do  more  myghtely,  t)an  haue  I  saide  Jjat  aftir  me 


And  baptyse  in  the  holy  goost.  He  schall  giflfe  baptyme  more  entire 

in  fire  and  gaste. 

(c)  John  says  that  he  is  only  a  messenger,  a  forerunner  of  Christ;  that  his  pur- 
pose is  to  urge  man  to  prepare  for  the  coming  of  Jesus.  Compare  T  11.  25-28  and  Y  II. 
15-18  far  verbal  similarities. 

/  am  send  bot  messyngere  Jjus  am  I  comen  in  message  right, 

And  as  for  ganger  e  am  I  send.  And  he  fore-reyner  in  certayne. 

*■>  Cady.  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:444  f. 

"  See  below,  p.  101. 

"  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  30  ft. 

">  Of.  T  XIII,  11.  656-59  and  Y  11.  67-68. 

•'  Hohlfeld,  op.  oil.  Anglia  11:295. 

"  The  play  of  John  the  Baptist  does  not  occur  in  Chester. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  75 

(2)  In  both  York  and  Towneley,  an  angel"  tells  John  of  the  coming  of  Jesus  for 
baptism,  whereas,  in  Ludus  Coventriae,  no  angel  appears. 

(3)  John's  fear  and  trembling  in  baptizing  Jesus  appear  only  in  York  and 
Towneley.  Compare  T  11.  181-84  and  Y  11.  141-47  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the 
retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  stande  and  drede. 

I  tremyll  and  I  whake  for  drede!  A!  lorde,  /  trymble  Ipet  I  stande, 

I  dar  not  towche  the  with  my  hande.  For  the  to  louche  haue  I  grete  drede, 

Abyde,  my  lord,  and  by  me  stand.  Now  helpe  me  lorde, 

(4)  The  actual  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  God's  proclamation  from  the 
clouds  occur  in  Ludus  Coventriae,  but  not  in  York  or  Towneley. 

Mr.  Pollard^*  suggests  that  the  Towneley  play  belonged  to  the  ''period 
when  the  York  plays  were  being  incorporated  into  the  cycle,"  and  Professor 
Gayley^^  believes  it  was  based  upon  an  early  alternative  of  the  York  play, 
later  discarded.  Professor  Gayley's  conclusion  may  be  true,  but  metrical 
and  stylistic  similarities  of  the  Towneley  play  and  certain  York  plays, 
such  as  the  Building  of  the  Ark  and  the  Last  Judgment,  may  indicate  that 
the  extant  Towneley  play  itself  represents  the  parent  version,  of  which 
the  York  play  is  a  revision.  If  this  be  the  case,  then  York,  in  its  revision, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Northern  Septenar  plays,^^  omitted  incidents  which 
did  not  have  a  scriptural  basis,  especially  those  which  were  derived  from 
vernacular  literature. 

(1)  The  strophe  in  which  John  apostrophizes  Jesus'  mother  as  the  empress  of 
hell  was  derived  from  a  vernacular  lyric. ^^ 

(2)  John  believes  that  the  angel's  refusal  to  allow  him  to  meet  Jesus  signifies  the 
necessity  of  having  children  brought  to  church  for  baptism.  This  is  the  didactic  tone 
and  manner  of  the  homilies. 

(3)  Jesus'  presentation  of  a  lamb  to  John,  as  a  charm  against  adversity,  is  prob- 
ably to  be  ascribed  to  a  vernacular  source. 

Or  it  may  be,  that  the  simpler  York  play  is  the  parent  version  and  that 
the  expanded  Towneley  play  is  a  revision  of  it. 

Lazarus 

Although  the  York,  Towneley,  and  Chester  plays  of  the  Raising  of 
Lazarus  show  many  points  of  similarity,  the  relation  between  York  and 
Towneley,  in  the  portions  unaffected  by  the  gap  in  the  York  manuscript,^^ 
is  closer: 

63  One  angel  appears  in  York,  but  two  in  Towneley. 

"  Pollard,  op.  cit.  EETSES  71:intro.  xxvi. 

'5  Gayley,  Plays  of  Our  Forefathers  134,  n.  1. 

'8  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  43  flf. 

«'  See  Taylor,  The  Middle  English  Religious  Lyric  Mod.  Phil.  S:20. 

"  Smith,  op.  cit.  199. 


76  MARIE   C.  LYLE 


(1)  Jesus  tells  the  disciples  that  they  will  go  to  Bethany,  but  the  apostles,  fearing 
for  his  life,  object.  Compare  T  11.  7-10,  18,  Y  11.  117-22,  Ch  p.  225  for  verbal  similari- 
ties, with  the  retention  of  three  common  rhymes,  stede,  dede,  agane,  in  York  and 
Towneley,  and  one,  agane,  in  Chester. 

I  red  not  that  ye  thider  go,  A!  lorde,  Jjou  wote  wele  ilke  Master,    righte    well    thou 

The    lues    halden    you    for  a  tyde,  may  see 

thare  fo;  pe  J  ewes  layte  J)e  ferre  and  The    Jewes    woulde    have 

I   red  ye  com  not  in  that  nere,  stoned  thee, 

stede.  To  stone  Jje  vnto  dede.  And  yett  thou  will  againe. 
Or  putte  to  pereles  payne ; — 

ff  or  if  ye  do  then  be  ye  dede.  And  J)ou  to  |Dat  same  stede 


Will    thou    now    go    thider    Covaites  to  gange  agayne. 
aga7ie? 

(2)  Jesus  tells  the  disciples  that  Lazarus  sleeps  and  they,  considering  this  a  sign 
of  recovery,  suggest  that  they  do  not  disturb  him.  Compare  T  11.  19-21,  Y  11.  131-34, 
and  Ch  p.  226  for  verbal  similarities. 

herkyn,  breder,  and  takys  And  to  30U  sale  I  more,  Lazarre,  my  frende,  is  sleap- 

kepe;  How  |)at  Lazar  otire  frende  inge. 

lazare  oure  freynde  is  fallyn  Slepes  nowe,  and  I  therfore  Theidder     we     muste     be 

on  slepe;  With     50U     to     hym     will  goinge. 

The  way  till  hym  now  will  wende. 
we  take. 

(3)  When  Jesus  informs  the  disciples  that  Lazarus  is  dead,  they  decide  to  go  with 
him.  Compare  T  11.  29-30,  Y  11.  137-39  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of 
two  rhyme  words,  stede  and  dede.  Although  the  same  incident  is  presented  in  Chester, 
no  verbal  parallels  with  York  or  Townelej-  occur. 

Ne  slepe  may  stand  hym  in  no  stede,  I  sale  to  ^ou,  Lazare  is  dede. 

And  for  50U  all  grete  joie  I  haue, 
I  say  you  sekerly  he  is  dede.  se  wote  I  was  noght  in  J)at  stede. 

(4)  Martha  reproaches  Jesus  for  not  being  present  during  her  brother's  illness, 
but  he  assures  her  that  Lazarus  will  rise. 

(5)  Martha  thinks  Jesus  m.eans  at  Doomsday,  but  he  assures  her  that  he  is  the 
"resurrection  and  the  life." 

(6)  Jesus  sends  Martha  to  fetch  Mary,  who,  lamenting,  tells  him  of  their  sorrow. 

(7)  Mar3'  leads  Jesus  to  the  grave,  telling  him  that  Lazarus  has  been  buried  four 
days. 

(8)  Jesus  prays  to  God  and  bids  Lazarus  step  forth. 

(9)  Lazarus,  in  gratitude,  praises  Jesus. ^° 

Certain  expansions  in  phraseology  and  certain  additions  in  material 
conforming  to  scriptural  accounts  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Northern 
Septenar  strophes  of  the  York  play  are  a  revision  of  the  Towneley  couplets : 

As  evidence  of  the  metrical  expansion  by  York  in  conforming  the  couplets  to  the 
more  complicated  rhyme  scheme  of  the  Northern  Septenar: 

(1)  Til.  9-10  and  Y  11.  119-21. 

I  red  ye  com  not  in  that  stede,  To  stone  J^e  vnto  dede, 

ffor  if  ye  do  then  be  ye  dede.  Or  putte  to  pereles  payne; — 

And  l3ou  to  |)at  same  stede. 

(2)  T  11.  29-30  and  Y  11.  137-40. 

"  The  gap  in  the  York  manuscript  covers  points  4-7  inclusive. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  77 

Ne  slepe  may  stand  hyni  in  no  stede,  I  saie  to  30U,  Lazare  is  dede, 

I  say  you  sekerly  he  is  dede.  And  for  50U  all  grete  joie  I  haue, 

36  wote  I  was  noght  in  J^at  stede. 

As  evidence  of  additions  in  subject-matter  by  York: 

(1)  In  the  beginning  of  the  play,  Martha  and  Mary,  in  distress  over  their  brother's 
death,  send  for  Jesus,  who  replies  that  the  illness  of  Lazarus  is  not  deadly  but  for  the 
glorification  of  God's  Son.  This  addition  may  have  been  made  for  dramatic  complete- 
ness, or  perhaps  for  the  sake  of  scriptural  fidelity. 

(2)  The  apostles'  fear  for  Jesus'  life  is  elaborated  in  York  by  Jesus'  remark  that 
they  must  work  while  it  is  still  light. 

(3)  In  accordance  with  the  principles  underlying  all  Northern  Septenar  plays, 
which  excluded  any  derogatory  remarks  concerning  the  Deity,  the  York  Martha,  instead 
of  reproaching  Jesus  for  his  delay,  praises  him  at  his  entrance. 

(4)  At  the  close  of  the  play,  either  omitted  from  the  Towneley  version  because  of 
the  addition  of  the  more  interesting  Wakefield  material,  or  included  in  the  York  ver- 
sion because  of  a  desire  for  scriptural  accuracy,  the  York  Martha  and  Mary  thank 
Jesus,  and  he,  blessing  them,  leaves  for  Jerusalem. 

At  the  same  time,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  Towneley  strophes  in 
double  quatrains  and  those  rhyming  ababababcccdcd  are  probably  later 
additions  in  that  c^^cle  to  the  original  or  parent  play  in  couplets.  In  the 
York  version,  Lazarus  tells  about  being  buried  for  four  days  and  testifies 
to  the  power  of  the  Son  of  God,  asserting  that  all  who  trust  in  him  will  not 
die.^*^  Upon  such  a  basis,  present  presumably  in  the  parent  play,  Towneley 
shows  an  extensive  elaboration.  Lazarus  assures  the  people,  in  double 
quatrains,^^  that  no  wonder  can  be  greater  than  his  resurrection;  that  he 
has,  indeed,  been  brought  back  from  hell.  At  this  point,  the  metre  changes 
to  that  rhyming  ababababcccdcd,  and  in  a  style  closely  resembling  that 
of  the  Wakefield  author,^^  Lazarus  asserts  that  not  the  mightiest  on  earth, 
neither  king  nor  knight,  can  escape  death,  and  that  in  spite  of  their  gay 
clothes,  their  flesh  will  be  eaten  away.  Changing  back  to  the  double 
quatrains,  he  begs  the  people  to  amend  their  lives  while  they  may,  and 
then  returning  to  the  longer  strophe  form,  he  assures  them  that  he  has 
seen  and  heard  many  a  marvel,  and  that  they  should  take  warning  from 
his  sufferings.  The  play  closes  with  his  cry  to  God  for  protection.  These 
exhortations  point  to  a  later  lyrical  insertion,^^  and  do  not  in  any  way 
aft'ect  the  fundamental  structure  of  the  play. 

The  Conspiracy 

The  Towneley  Conspiracio  corresponds  to  three  plays  in  the  York 
cycle,  the  Conspiracy  proper,  the  Last  Supper,  and  the  Agony  and  Betrayal. 
In  order  to  facilitate  the  necessary  discussion  and  explanation  of.  details, 
the  Towneley  play  will  be  divided  into  three  portions  corresponding  to 
the  three  play  divisions  of  the  York  cycle. 

M  York  Play  XXIV,  11.  186-97. 

61  Towneley  Play  XXXI,  11.  103-10. 

62  Bunzen  op.  cit.  15,  suggests  that  the  play  was  revised  by  the  Wakefield  author. 
"  See  Taylor,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  5:30,  32. 


78  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

The  Conspiracy  Proper. — Similarities  in  the  structural  outlines  and 
phraseology  of  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  the  Conspiracy  proper 
have  already  been  presented''^  and  may  be  regarded  as  evidence  of  the 
original  identity  of  the  two  plays.^^  In  fact,  the  Northern  Septenar  strophes 
of  the  Towneley  play  identify  it  as  a  play  of  the  parent  cycle. ^^ 

The  York  revision  was  probably  made  with  two  fundamental  ideas  in 
view:  (1)  the  desire  to  bring  the  character  of  Pilate  into  closer  conformity 
with  scriptural  accounts  by  making  him  kindlier  in  his  attitude  towards 
Jesus  and  anxious  to  avoid  injustice;"  and  (2)  to  present  the  details  in  as 
realistic  a  manner  as  possible.  To  the  first  of  these  reasons,  the  following 
changes  may  be  ascribed : 

(1)  The  York  Pilate  immediately  perceives  the  Jews'  hatred  of  Jesus,  whereas 
the  Towneley  Pilate  joins  with  the  high  priests  in  their  antagonism  against  him. 

(2)  In  Towneley,  the  warning  to  be  more  temperate  is  directed  against  Pilate 
by  his  subordinates,  but  in  York,  it  is  Pilate  who  bids  the  high  priests  be  more  temperate. 

(3)  In  keeping  with  the  deceitfulness  of  Pilate  and  the  high  priests,  in  Towneley, 
Judas  is  thanked  and  praised  because  of  his  treachery,  while  in  York  he  is  cursed  and 
maltreated. 

The  following  changes  may  be  explained  by  the  second  reason : 

(1)  Judas'  reason  for  selling  Jesus,  although  developed  by  similar  details,  is  in- 
troduced at  different  points  in  the  presentation.  In  the  York  play,  Judas'  recital  of 
his  grievances  serves  as  a  happy  means  of  impressing  upon  the  audience  the  idea  of 
his  grim  aspect,  to  which  in  the  scene  that  follows,  the  porter  takes  so  violent  and  sud- 
den an  exception.  In  Towneley,  the  reason  is  not  divulged  until  the  terms  of  the 
bargain  are  being  discussed. 

(2)  The  refusal  to  grant  Judas  admittance  to  the  council  chamber  has  been 
motivated,  in  the  York  revision,  by  the  introduction  of  a  new  character,  the  porter, 
who,  believing  he  sees  treachery  on  Judas'  grim  face,  orders  him  away. 

The  six  strophes  in  the  characteristic  metre  of  the  Wakefield  author, 
which  form  the  introduction  to  the  Towneley  Conspiracio,  are  not,  as  Pro- 
fessor Cady  believes,*^  the  remains  of  an  early  Towneley  play  upon  which 
the  Northern  Septenar  strophes  of  a  York  play  have  been  engrafted,  but 
are  rather  to  be  regarded  as  a  later  addition  to  the  Northern  Septenar 
strophes. ®3  Otherwise,  it  would  be  difficult  to  explain  the  existence  of 
similarities  between  the  introduction  and  the  body  of  the  play  :^° 

M  See  above,  ch.  I,  pp.  5-9. 

''  In  fact,  this  theory  for  the  play  has  already  been  suggested.  Professor  Davidson's  rhyme  scheme 
tests  {op.  cit.  145)  indicated  that  the  Northern  Septenar  strophes  of  the  Towneley  play  were  written  by 
the  author  responsible  for  the  Northern  Septenar  plays  in  the  York  cycle. 

M  See  above,  ch.  III. 

•'  This  difference  in  the  conception  of  Pilate's  character  is  seen  in  all  the  Passion  plays  of  the  two  cycles. 
In  Towneley,  his  attitude  is  as  brutal  and  scheming  as  is  that  of  the  high  priests.  This  must  have  been 
the  view  of  the  parent  cycle,  preserved  now  in  the  Towneley  plays,  but  modified  in  the  York  revisions. 

«8  Cady,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  10:590. 

•»  See  Mrs.  Frank,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  15:181,  n.  4. 

">  The  similarities  occurring  in  the  extant  introductions  of  the  two  plays  have  already  been  presented. 
See  above,  ch.  I,  p.  5-6. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  79 

(a)  From  Wakefield  strophe  in  the  introduction: 

he  prechys  the  pepyll  here/  that  fature  fals  ihesus, 
That  if  he  lyf  a  j-ere/  dystro}^  oure  law  must  vs; 
And  5'it  I  stand  in  fere/  so  wyde  he  wj^rkys  vertus, 
No  fawt  can  on  hym  bere/  no  lyfand  leyde  tyll  vs; 

Bot  sleyghtys 
Agans  hym  shall  be  soght, 
that  all  this  wo  has  wroght.     (37  fit.) 

From  Northern  Septenar  strophe  in  the  body  of  the  play: 

Sir,  oure  folk  ar  so  afrayd, 

thrugh  lesyns  he  losys  oure  lay; 

Som  remedy  must  be  rayd, 

So  that  he  weynd  not  thus  away. 

Now  certan,  syrs,  this  was  well  sayd, 

and  I  assent,  right  as  ye  say, 

Som  preuay  poynt  to  be  puruayd 

To  mar  his  myght  if  [that]  we  ma}'.     (66  ff.) 

ffor  certan,  syrs,  ye  say  right  weyll 

ffor  to  wyrk  witterly; 

Bot  yit  som  fawt  must  we  feyll, 

wherfor  that  he  shuld  dy.     (86  flf.) 

(b)  From  Wakefield  strophe  in  the  introduction: 

If  this  be  true  in  deyd, 

his  shech  shall  spryng  and  sprede, 

And  ouer  com  euer  ylkone.     (51  ff.) 

From  Northern  Septenar  strophe  in  the  body  of  the  play: 

Towchyng  that  tratoure  Strang, 
that  makys  this  beleyf, 
ffor  if  he  may  thus  furth  gang. 
It  will  ouer  greatly  grefe.     (62  ff.) 

The  Last  Supper. — The  chart  analysis  presented  above, ^^  makes  it 
apparent  that,  in  the  case  of  the  Last  Supper,  York  and  Towneley  selected 
in  common  many  incidents  from  the  Northern  Passion.  Although  the 
Hegge  plan's  also  make  use  of  the  same  source,  ^^  a  different  set  of  incidents 
are  selected  and  emphasized  from  those  appearing  in  both  York  and 
Towneley.'^^    The  many  similarities  existing  in  York  and  Townelej^  then, 

"  See  above,  ch.  I,  pp.  9-13. 

f2  Foster,  op.  cit.  EETS  147:84  ff. 

"  (1)  The  interruption  of  the  incidents  of  the  Last  Supper  by  the  introduction  of  events  treated  in 
another  play  in  York  and  Towneley,  such  as  the  conspiracy  of  the  Jews,  the  anointing  of  Jesus'  feet, 
Judas'  anger,  the  bargain  and  the  selling  of  Jesus,  shows  that  Ludus  Coventriae  follows  a  different  model 
from  that  of  York  and  Towneley. 

(2)  The  difference  in  the  underljnng  conception  of  the  Ludus  Coventriae  play  is  also  borne  out  by 
the  different  development  of  certain  incidents. 

(a)  It  repeats  Jesus'  foretelling  of  his  betrayal  and  Judas'  departure  for  the  high  priests. 

(b)  It  does  not  consider  the  shepherd  and  herd  illustration,  given  a  prominent  position  in  both 
York  and  Towneley. 

(c)  Jesus'  final  speech  follows  a  different  model  from  that  of  either  York  or  Towneley. 

(d)  The  position  of  Jesus'  foretelling  of  Peter's  denial,  at  the  close  of  the  Ludus  Coventriae  play, 
differs  from  its  introduction  at  an  earlier  point  in  both  York  and  Towneley. 

(3)  Ludus  Coventriae  includes  incidents  not  found  in  York  and  Towneley: 

(a)  The  blessing  of  the  bread  and  wine  by  Jesus,  and  his  offering  them  to  the  disciples  as  a  token 
of  his  body  and  blood. 

(b)  The  entrance  of  the  demon,  gloating  over  the  condemned  soul  of  Judas,  which  he  will  soon  claim 
as  his  own. 


80 


MARIE   C.  LYLE 


may  be  explained  by  stipposing  their  presence  in  the  parent  cycle,  now 
extant  in  the  couplets  and  perhaps  the  quatrains  of  the  Towneley  play 
which,  according  to  the  theory  of  a  Northern  Septenar  revision  in  York,'* 
must  have  been  revised  in  that  metre  for  York  after  the  separation. 

That  the  extant  Towneley  play  represents,  indeed,  an  earlier  version 
than  the  extant  York  play  is  indicated  by  the  extended  verbal  agreement 
which  exists  between  certain  of  the  couplets  and  the  narrative  source:'^ 


NORTHERN    PASSION 

Sir  u'hare  wilt  Jjou  halde  thi  feste 

we  willene  gane  sythene  maste  &  leste 

Ihesu  ansuerde  sone  on  ane 

and  callede  to  hym  Petir  &  lohne 

Gase  he  saide  30  schall  fynd  &  mete 

a  man  with  watir  in  ]De  strete 

t)e  house  l^at  he  gose  to  with  grythe 

36  sail  hym  folowe  &  gaa  hym  with. 

the  lorde  of  Jse  house  56  schall  fynde 

a  symple  mane  of  sely  kynde 

To  hym  36  sail  speke  and  saye 

I  come  sone  in  my  waye. 


I  will  festene  in  his  haulle 

Me  and  Myne  discypills  alle.  (177-90) 

Ihesus  bad  \ia.m  all  sit  doune 
And   to   his   biding    war   Jjai    bowne. 
(204a-b) 


ludas  saughe  Jjay  sittene  alle 
agayne  Ihesu  he  gane  downe  falle 
Jjat  he  moughte  with  hym  ete 
his  tresoune  ne  wolde  ne  noghte 

forgete 
he  stale  owte  of  his  lordis  dysche 
Jje  beste  Morselle  of  his  fysche.  (209- 

14) 
With  tresun  sail  I  be  bitrayd, 

And  ilkone  by  J^am  self  serely 
Said  Jjusgate:  "lorde,  es  it  oght  I 
t)at  swilk  treson  has  paruaid?"    (244a, 
257-59) 


Or  1)6  cokke  thrise  sail  crawe 

30W  sail  forsake  me  in  a  thrawe.  (409- 

10) 
Vp  he  rase  right  fra  \)e  burde 
And  toke  a  clath  with  milde  chere 
And  a  bacyn  with  water  clere.  (330-32) 


TOWNELEY 

Sir,  where  will  ye  youre  paske  ete? 

Say  vs,  let  vs  dight  youre  mete. 

Go  furth,  lohn  and  peter,  to  yond  cyte; 

When  ye  com  ther,  ye  shall  then  se 

In  the  strete,  as  tyte,  a  man 

beryng  water  in  a  can; 

The  house  that  he  gose  to  grith, 

Ye  shall  folow  and  go  hym  with; 

The  lord  of  that  house  ye  shall  fynde, 

A  sympyll  man  of  cely  kynde; 

To  hym  ye  shall  speke,  and  say 

That  I  com  here  by  the  way; 

Say  I  pray  hym,  if  his  will  be, 

A  lytyll  whyl  to  ese  me. 

That  I  and  my  dyscypyls  all 

myght  rest  a  whyle  in  his  hall.  (3 14-29) 

Sir,  youre  mett  is  redy  bowne, 
will  ye  wesh  and  syt  downe? 
yei,  gyf  vs  water  tyll  oure  hande, 
take  we  the  grace  that  god  has  send; 
Commys  furth,  both  oone  and  othere; 
If  I  be  master  I  will  be  brothere. 

(346-51) 
Tunc  comedent,  6f  ludas  porrigit 
manum  in  discum  cum  IliesuJ^ 

ludas,  what  menys  thou? 
No  thyng,  lord,  bot  ett  with  you. 
(352-53) 


for  oone  of  you  shall  [me]  betray. 
{Pet.)  lord,  I  shall  neuer  the  betray; 
Dere  master,  is  it  oght  I? 

{John)  Master,  is  oght  I  he  then? 

{And.)  Master,  am  oght  I  that  shrew? 
{Sim.)  Master,  then  is  oght  I? 

{Phil.)  Is  it  oght  I 

(r/m<^.)  Wasitoghtl     .     .  (355  ff.) 
Peter,  thou  shall  thryse  apon  a  thraw 
fforsake  me,  or  the  cok  craw.  (380-81) 

Take  vp  this  clothe  and  let  vs  go, 
ffor    we   haue    othere   thyngs   at    do. 
(382-83) 


'<  See  above,  ch.  II,  30  £f. 

"  Miss  Foster,  loc.  cit.,  has  already  noted  some  of  these  verbal  agreements. 

"  A  stage  direction. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  81 

And  on  his  knese  down  gan  he  fall  Sit  all  downe,  and  here  and  sees, 

ffor  I  shall  wesh  youre  feet  on  knees. 

And  said  t)at  he  wald  wass  his  fete.  (384-85) 

(334-36) 

I  haue  done  3e  ne  wate  whatt.     (356)  Why  I  do  it  thou  wote  not  yit.     (388) 

hot  I  do  tis,  Bot  I  the  wesh,  thou  mon  mys 

^ou  gettes  no  part  with  me  in  blis.  parte  with  me  in  heuens  blys. 

^an  said  peter  and  ojjer  ma: 

"^at  bHs,  lord,  lat  vs  noght  forga,  Nay,  lord,  or  I  that  forgo, 

Wasche  heuid  and  hend  lord  pray  we  wesh  heede,  handys,  and  feytt  also. 

1)6."     (341-45)  (392-95) 

Maister  and  lord  now  5e  me  call  Ye  call  me  master  and  lord  by  name; 

And  wele  se  say  for  I  am  so.  Ye  say  full  wele,  for  so  I  am; 

And  sit  I  haue  kneled  50W  vnto  Sen  I,  both  lord  and  master,  to  you 

And  wasschen  30wre  fete  all  on  raw,  wold  knele 

So  t)at  36  sail  ensample  knaw.  (358-62)  to  wesh  youre  fete,  so  must  ye  w^ele. 

Ensaumpyll    haue    I    gyffen    you    to. 
(404-9) 

The  Towneley  couplets,  it  will  be  noted,  follow  the  order  of  the  Northern 
Passion  account,  save  for  the  position  of  the  foretelling  of  Peter's  denial. 
The  passage  which  has  been  cited  as  evidence  pointing  to  a  lost  foot-washing 
scene"  is,  in  the  light  of  the  source,  merely  an  introduction  to  the  Eucharist. 
Such  an  arrangement  of  incidents  is  not,  then,  indicative  of  confusion  on 
the  part  of  the  pla3rwright^^  and  can  not,  therefore,  be  advanced  as  evidence 
pointing  to  the  editorial  work  of  a  couplet  writer  at  work  on  the  Towneley 
cycle'^^  after  its  separation  from  York. 

A  gap  in  the  York  manuscript  and  the  corruption  of  the  Towneley 
text,  make  it  difficult  to  point  out  the  changes  made  in  the  York  revision. 
With  the  exception  of  the  introductory  scene  where  the  disciples  arrange 
for  the  house  for  the  Last  Supper,  believed  by  Professor  Cady  to  have 
been  dropped  from  the  York  cycle  when  the  separation  into  different  plays 
occurred,^''  and  Jesus'  final  sermon  to  his  disciples,  the  York  play  contains 
not  only  all  of  the  incidents  included  in  the  Towneley  play,  but  also  three 
additional  incidents  derived  from  the  Northern  Passion.  It  must,  there- 
fore, have  made  a  second  and  more  extensive  use  of  the  source  upon  which 
the  parent  play  was  based.  Accordingly,  the  incidents  added  to  York  at 
this  time  were : 

(1)  The  quarrel  among  the  disciples  as  to  the  leadership  after  Jesus'  death. 

(2)  Jesus'  commending  the  disciples  to  Peter's  care. 

(3)  Jesus  commanding  the  disciples  to  provide  themselves  with  swords. 

The  Agony  and  Betrayal. — The  sim.ilarities  in  structural  outlines  and 
phraseology  between  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  the  Agony  and 

"  Cady,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  10:591  5. 

's  Cady,  (op.  cit.  JEGP  10:576  £E.  and  Mod.  Phil.  10:593)  remarking  upon  the  corrupt  condition  of 
the  Towneley  play,  calls  attention  to  the  repetition  of  the  foretelling  of  Peter's  denial  and  of  a  supposed 
foot-washing  scene,  the  one  presentation  of  the  incidents  being  in  couplets,  the  other  in  quatrains. 

'9  See  Mrs.  Frank,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  15:182. 

80  Cady,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  10:593. 


82  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

Betrayal  have  already  been  presented  above. ^^  We  note  here  the  same 
situation  which  existed  in  the  Conspiracy  and  the  Last  Supper,  namely, 
that  although  the  Hegge  play  used  the  Northern  Passion,  it  did  not  select 
or  emphasize  the  incidents  chosen  in  common  by  York  and  Towneley. 
This  fact  taken  into  consideration  with  the  further  development  of  certain 
incidents  by  means  of  similar  details  in  both  York  and  Towneley  seems 
to  point  to  a  parent  pla3^  from  which  the  extant  York  and  Towneley 
versions  were  derived. 

The  corrupt  form  of  the  Wakefield  stanza  in  strophes  97-102  of  the 
scene  connected  with  the  capture  of  Jesus^^  can  not  be  regarded  as  a  rem- 
nant of  an  earlier  Towneley  play  upon  which  a  simpler  play  in  quatrains 
was  engrafted. ^^  The  three  soldiers  assure  Pilate,  in  the  usual  boastful 
vein  of  the  Miles  Gloriosus,  of  their  determination  to  seize  Jesus  at  any 
cost:  Malcus  is  ready  to  die  for  Mahound's  sake  if  only  he  may  be  per- 
mitted to  take  Jesus;  the  second  soldier  boasts  that,  as  sure  as  he  eats 
bread,  he  will  strike  off  Jesus'  head;  the  third  soldier  glibly  promises  Pilate 
speedy  vengeance,  since  three  such  knights  as  they  could  bind  the  devil 
himself.  Pilate,  in  turn,  salutes  them  as  "curtes  kasers  of  kamys  kyn" 
and  bids  them  bring  Jesus  to  him  "safe  and  sownde." 

As  will  be  seen,  this  material  in  the  Wakefield  strophes  is  merely  a 
further  elaboration  of  the  incidents  given  in  the  simple  quatrains,  the 
suggestion  for  which  is  found  in  the  Northern  Passion. •^'^ 

l^an  l)ai  come  with  ful  grete  rowte 
And  vmsett  ihesus  all  obout 
With  swerdes  &  maces  &  glaues  gude; 
l)ai  blew  homes  als  Jiai  war  wode 
And  in  lanternes  bare  Jjai  light, 
And  sum  bare  brandes  brinand  bright 
iDat  |Dai  might  graithly  se  lie  gat, 
ffor  it  was  in  \)e  euenig  late. 

The  dramatic  presentation  of  these  lines  and  their  incorporation  into 
both  York  and  Towneley  as  a  transition  scene  between  Jesus'  agony  in 
the  garden  and  his  capture  by  the  Jews  point  rather  to  a  parent  play  from 
which  both  the  extant  versions  have  been  derived. ^^  Evidence  for  this 
theory  is  seen  in  the  further  development  of  the  scene  in  both  cycles  by 
means  of  similar  details : 

(1)  The  soldiers  are  armed  with  swords. 

(2)  Pilate,  in  Towneley,  and  the  high  priests,  in  York,  show  their  eagerness  in 
the  search  for  Jesus  by  commanding  the  soldiers  to  seek  everywhere  for  him: 

"  See  above  ch.  I,  pp.  13-18. 
»'  Towneley  Play  XX.  11.  599-651. 

M  Cady,  The  Wakefield  Group  in  Towneley  JEGP  11:252  S. 
»«  Foster,  op.  cit.  EETS  145:53. 

"  Probably  the  York  play  represents  a  later  revision  (see  Gayley,  Plays  of  Our  Forefathers  154)  of  the 
parent  play,  now  extant,  perhaps  in  part,  in  Towneley. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  83 


haue  done,  sir  knyghtys,  and  kythe  youre  strengthe, 

And  wap  you  wightly  in  youre  wede ; 

Seke  ouer  all,  both  brede  and  lengthe! 

Spare  ye  not,  spende  and  spede! 

We  haue  soght  hym  les  and  more.     (Towneley  1.  592  ff.) 

Als  5e  are  a  lorde  of  grete  renoune, 
5e  spare  hym  not  to  spill. 
I^e  devill  hym  spede! 


Where  56  hj'^m  see,  on  hym  take  hede. 

We  schall  hym  seke  both  even  and  morne.     (York  1.  215  ff.) 

(3)  Malcus  brings  a  light  to  bear  before  the  soldiers. 

(4)  The  command  is  given  to  begin  the  search. 

At  this  point,  in  the  Towneley  play,  the  Wakefield  strophes  occur,  and 
comparison  with  the  Northern  Passion  and  the  York  play  makes  it  clear 
that  they  are  a  later  addition. ^^ 

Nor  can  there  be  any  doubt  that  the  York  play  represents  a  revision." 
The  dissimilarities  now  existing  between  York  and  Towneley  can  therefore 
be  adequately  explained  on  the  ground  of  later  revisions : 

(1)  York  elaborates  many  of  the  incidents  provided  for  in  the  parent  play  and 
repeats  Jesus'  command  to  the  disciples  to  watch  and  to  pray  not  to  fall  into  tempta- 
tion. 

(2)  On  the  other  hand,  the  Wakefield  strophes  in  the  midst  of  the  quatrains 
indicate  a  further  elaboration  in  Towneley  of  the  incident  showing  the  eagerness  of 
the  soldiers  to  hunt  for  Jesus. 

(3)  Certain  additions  in  the  York  play  point  to  a  second  and  more  extensive  use 
of  the  Northern  Passion,  as  seen  in  the  incident  where  the  soldiers  fall  to  the  ground 
at  the  sight  of  Jesus'  divinity  and  Jesus'  assurance  that  he  could  have  a  host  of  angels 
to  testify  to  his  power  if  he  so  wished. 

(4)  In  accordance  with  its  conception  of  Pilate,  the  Towneley  play  shows  him  as 
the  instigator  and  director  of  the  preparations  made  to  seize  Jesus;  the  revised  York 
play,  on  the  other  hand,  with  its  changed  view  of  Pilate's  character,^*  assigns  the  r61e 
to  the  high  priests. 

The  Crucifixion  and  Burial 

The  similarities  existing  between  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  dealing 
with  the  Crucifixion  and  Burial  have  already  been  presented.^^  The  two 
York  plays,  XXXV  and  XXXVI,  seem  to  be  expanded  versions  of  the  one 
Towneley  play,  XXIII,  and  many  of  the  differences  now  existing  may  be 
accounted  for  by  this  expansion.  In  the  development  of  details,  the  York 
plays  are  long  drawn  out,  with  much  repetition,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
soldiers'  mockery  of  Jesus,  where  they  deride  his  claim  to  kingship  and 
his  claim  of  being  able  to  tear  down  the  temple  and  rebuild  it  in  three  days. 

8«  See  Mrs.  Frank,  op.  cil.  Mod.  Phil.  15:181,  n.  4. 

»'  See  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:248;  Gayley,  op.  cit.  154. 

85  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  44  ff. 

8»  See  above,  ch.  I,  pp.  24-28. 


84  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

In  Towneley,  the  incident  occurs  once,  11.  486-97,  but  in  York,  it  is  given 
in  both  plays,  PI.  XXXV,  11.  273-83  and  PI.  XXXVI,  11.  79-91.  In  one 
instance,  a  long  speech  by  Jesus  is  split  into  several  parts  in  the  York 
revision,  different  parts  appearing  at  different  places  in  both  plays. 3*'  Not 
only  does  the  treatment  of  the  subject-matter  point  to  a  later  revision  and 
further  separation  into  two  plays  by  York,  but  the  metre  also  bears  out 
the  same  assumption.  The  two  York  plays,  the  one,  the  Crucifixion,  in 
the  Northern  Septenar  and  the  other,  the  Mortificacio,  in  a  later  modifica- 
tion of  it,  are  later  stanzaic  forms^^  than  the  simpler  and  more  common 
rime  couee,  in  which  the  body  of  the  Towneley  play  is  composed,  and 
which  presumably  represents  the  parent  play,  in  part,  at  least. 

The  Towneley  play  also  has  undergone  revision  in  certain  strophes 
which  closely  resemble  the  work  of  the  Wakefield  author.  ^^  Probably, 
the  strophes  in  the  medial  rhymed  quatrains  of  three  accents  to  the  half- 
line,  and  the  strophes  rhyming  aabaabbcb  and  aabccbbdbd  also  represent 
revisions.  These  strophes  are  mainly  concerned  with  the  boasting  of 
Pilate,  the  lamentations  of  Mary,  and  the  suffering  of  Jesus,  just  such 
incidents  as  would  readily  adapt  themselves  to  elaboration  and  revision. 

The  Appearance  of  Jesus  to  Mary  Magdalene 
Similarities  in  structural  outlines  and  isolated  phrases  occur  between 
the  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  Jesus'  Appearance  to  Mary  Magdalene: 

(1)  Mary,  searching  for  Jesus'  body,  asks  the  gardener  where  he  has  put  it. 
Compare  T  11.  581,  563-68.  573-74  and  Y  11.  70,  42-43,  38  for  verbal  similarities,  with 
the  retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  away,  and  other  phrases. 

In  fayth  /  haue  hym  soght.  /  haue  Jdc  sought. 

Say  me,  garthynere,  I  the  pray,  Therfore,  goode  gardner,  sais  Jjou  me, 

I  pray  pe  for  the  prophetis  sake, 

If  thou  hare  oght  my  lord  aiuay;  Swete  Sir,  yf  pou  hym  bare  azvaye. 

The  stede  thou  bare  his  body  tyll 
Tell  Tne  I  the  pray. 

(2)  Jesus  reveals  himself  and  Mary  recognizes  him. 

(3)  At  Mary's  desire  to  kiss  his  feet,  Jesus  commands  her  not  to  touch  him. 
Compare  T  11.  592-96  and  Y  11.  82-85  for  verbal  similarities  with  the  retention  of  one 
rhyme  word,  Trinite. 

Nay,  mary,  neghe  thou  not  me,  Negh  me  noght,  my  loue,  latte  be! 

flfor  to  my  fader,  tell  I  the,  Marie,     ■     .     ■     •  _   •_     •     •     •     • 

To  my  fadir  in  Trinite 
yit  stevynd  I  noght;  Fort)e  /  stigh  no^t  yctte. 


Before  theym  all  in  Irynyte. 

•0  Cf.  T  11.  233-38  and  Y  XXXV.  11.  253-58;  T  11.  255-60  and  Y  XXXVI,  11.  192-95;  T  11.  274-83.  272-73. 
206  and  Y  XXXV.  1.  52.  XXXVI.  11.  118-28;  T  II.  290-4  and  Y  XXXV.  11.  259-64,  XXXVI.  11.  254-58. 

•'  The  theory  of  the  Northern  Septenar  revision  was  presented  above,  ch.  II.  Gayley,  op.  oil.  57. 
considers  the  strophe  form  of  the  Mortificacio  an  indication  that  the  play  was  revised. 

"  Bunzen.  op.  cit.  49.  thinks  the  strophes  in  question  are  the  work  of  the  Wakefield  author. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWXELEY   CYCLES  85 

(4)  Jesus  bids  her  tell  the  disciples  of  his  resurrection. 

The  presence  of  "Burns"  strophes  in  the  Towneley  play  identifies  it 
as  perhaps  a  part  of  the  parent  cycle, ^^  of  which  the  York  play,  with  its 
greater  elaboration  of  details,  probably  represents  a  revision.  York 
elaborates  the  following  points : 

(1)  Mary's  opening  lament  at  Jesus'  tomb,  where  she  feels  she  has  "lost  her 
wits"  and  prays  God  to  permit  her  to  see  Jesus  or  his  messenger. 

(2)  Jesus,  in  the  guise  of  a  gardener,  wishes  to  know  what  Mary  would  do  with 
the  body  if  she  had  it. 

(3)  When  Jesus  reveals  himself  to  Mary,  he  shows  his  wounds  in  testimony  of 
his  identity. 

(4)  Mary's  praises  of  Jesus  are  elaborated  upon  and  closely  resemble  the  general 
spirit  and  wording  of  numerous  medieval  lyrics."  She  lauds  him  as  a  comely  con- 
queror whose  love  is  sweeter  than  honey. 

(5)  Jesus'  reply  in  the  same  fantastic  strain  may  also  belong  to  the  same  type 
of  literature.  Jesus  gives  a  detailed  description  of  his  mighty  armor,  likening  his 
leather  hauberk  to  his  head  and  his  breast-plate  to  his  out-spread  body. 

TJie  P  ere  grim 

Although  the  same  incidents  are  contained  in  the  play  of  the  Peregrini 
in  the  four  English  cycles,  it  is  noteworthy  that  York  and  Towneley  agree 
in  elaborating  the  essential  incidents  by  the  addition  of  similar  details, 
often  with  the  use  of  parallel  phraseology. 

(1)  In  the  four  plays,  the  disciples  meet  and  mourn  Jesus'  death.  The  lamenta- 
tions in  York  and  Towneley  are  more  elaborate  than  in  the  other  two  cycles.  They 
also  agree  in  giving  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  cruelties  suffered  by  Jesus  and  in 
calling  to  mind  certain  details  connected  with  the  crucifixion.  Compare  T  11.  15,  30 
and  Y  11.  20-21;  T  1.  57  and  Y  11.  106,  81  for  verbal  similarities. 

Bio  thou  bett  hym  bare.  Howe  l)ei  bette  Jjat  body  was  bote  of  all 

bales 

And  forto  bete  his  body  bio.  With  buffettis  Tpei  bete  hym  full  barely. 

Vnto  the  ded  yit  thay  hym  dight.  l)us  with  dole  was  Jjat  dere  vnto  dede 

dight. 

To  l^e  dying  pei  dight  hym. 

(2)  Jesus,  in  the  guise  of  a  pilgrim,  meets  the  disciples  and  inquires  into  their 
trouble.  Compare  T  11.  98-99  and  Y  11.  67-69,  72  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the 
retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  way  {wayes  in  Y),  and  other  phrases. 

Pylgrymes,  whi  make  ye  this  mone.  What  are  Jdcs  meruailes  Jjat  se  of  mene, 

And  J)us  mekill  mournj-ng  in  mynde 
Jjat  5e  make, 
And  walk  so  rufuUy  by  the  way?  Walking  Jjus  wille  be  l^es  wayes? 

(3)  The  disciples  tell  about  the  report  of  the  women.  Compare  T  11.  186-88  and 
Y  11.  116-19  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  sight,  and 
other  phrases. 

"  See  above,  ch.  Ill,  47  ff. 

»•  See  lyrics  printed  by  Mr.  Taylor,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  5:1-38. 


86  MARIE  C.  LYLE 

Bot  saide  a  light  Howe  all   was  lemand  light  wher  he 

Com  downe  with  angels,  and  vp  hj'm  was  laide 

broght  

Tharein  thare  sight.  For  certayne  Jdci  saugh  it  in  sight. 

A  visioune  of  aungellis  bright. 

(4)  The  disciples  assert  that,  although  thej'  distrusted  the  report,  they  found  it 
to  be  true.     Compare  T  11.  195-96  and  Y  11.  123-24  for  verbal  similarities. 

yee,  50w  of  vs,  sir,  haue  beyn  thare,  Some  of  oure  folke  hyed  forthe  and 

And/a«H(/e  it  as  the  women  saide.  faste  \>ei  itfande, 

J)at  all  was  soth  \)a.t  t^ei  saide.    .     . 

Immediately  preceding  the  disciples'  account  of  the  women's  report,  the  York 
and  Towneley  peregrini  tell  the  stranger  that  they  are  awaiting  Jesus'  resurrection 
the  third  day  as  he  had  foretold.  The  position  of  this  detail  appears  significant,  be- 
cause in  both  Chester  and  Ludus  Coventriae,  it  occurs  at  other  points  in  the  presen- 
tation. 

(5)  Jesus  reproaches  the  disciples  for  their  disbelief^"  and  quotes  prophecies. 

(6)  The  peregrini  invite  Jesus  to  remain  for  the  night.  Compare  T  11.  240-41  and 
Y  11.  143-44  for  verbal  similarities. 

Now  sir,  we  pray  you,  as  oure  freynde,         All  nyght  we  thynke  for  to  byde  here, 
All  nyght  to  abyde  for  charite.  Bide  with  vs,  sir  pilgrime,  we  pray  )ou. 

Chester  does  not  include  the  desire,  expressed  by  the  disciples  in  the  other  plays, 
to  hear  more  of  the  stranger's  talking.  His  conversation  is  characterized  as  "kyndely" 
in  York  and  Towneley,  but  not  in  the  other  cycles.  With  Jesus'  reluctance  to  remain, 
but  final  acceptance  of  the  invitation,  the  similarity  in  the  fundamental  outlines  of 
the  four  plays  is  resumed. 

(7)  The  similarity  is  continued  in  the  vanishing  of  Jesus  immediately  after  he 
has  blessed  the  bread.  Compare  T  11.  391-92  and  Y  11.  160-62  for  verbal  similarities 
not  found  in  the  other  cycles. 

.     .     .     where  is  this  man  becom,  Saiel  wher  is  pis  man? 

Right  here  that  sat  betwix  vs  two.  Away  is  he  went, 

Right  now  satte  he  beside  vsl 

(8)  The  realization  on  the  part  of  the  disciples  that  the  stranger  was  Jesus  occurs 
in  all  four  plays,  as  well  as  their  rejoicing  and  departure  to  tell  the  other  disciples. 
Compare  T  11.  363-65  and  Y  U.  188-89  for  verbal  similarities. ^^ 

Such  an  extensive  similarity  can  not  be  adequately  explained,  as  Pro- 
fessor Cady  suggests, ^^  by  the  theory  of  a  common  liturgical  source.  The 
"Burns"  stanzas,  forming  the  body  of  the  play,  identify  it  as  a  part  of  the 
parent  cycle, ^^  and  the  York  play  may  be  regarded  as  a  revision  of  it.  The 
conciseness  with  which  the  York  incidents  are  presented  appears  to  point 
to  an  intentional  condensation  of  the  play.  A  passage  in  the  York  text 
clearly  indicates  a  limitation  in  time : 

"  See  T  1.  202,  Y  1.  130,  Ch  p.  104  and  Hegge  plays  p.  367  for  verbal  similarities. 

"Compare  Ch  p.  106  and  Hegge  plays  p.  371  for  verbal  similarities  not  so  close  as  those  existing 
between  York  and  Towneley. 

»'  Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:464. 
«9  See  above,  ch.  Ill,  47  S. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  87 

Here  may  we  notte  melle  of  more  at  \iis  tyde, 
For  prossesse  of  plaies  J)at  precis  in  plight. ^^ 

On  the  other  hand,  isolated  strophes  in  the  characteristic  metre  of  the 
Wakefield  atithor^"^  and  the  stanzas  rhyming  ababcbc,  which  occur  either 
in  connection  with  the  Wakefield  strophes  or  separately/^^  represent 
probable  additions  in  the  Towneley  cycle.  These  strophes,  it  should  be 
noted,  consist  merely  in  repetitions  of  material  already  presented  or  show 
an  expansion  in  phraseology. 

Third  Group  of  Plays 

In  the  third  group,  we  have  the  plays  which  show  a  similarity  in 
structural  outlines  and  verbal  reminiscences  in  isolated  passages.  Such 
resemblances,  in  conjunction  with  the  extensive  agreements  in  the  plays 
of  the  first  two  groups,  we  believe  indicative  of  a  former  identity.  Because 
of  the  absence  of  common  rhymes,  we  must  suppose  the  revisions  of  the 
plays  in  this  group  more  thorough  than  those  in  the  first  two  groups.  In 
most  cases,  it  is  probable  that  the  plays  underwent  independent  revisions 
in  both  cycles. 

Noah  and  the  Flood 

Similarities  in  structural  outlines  and  verbal  reminiscences  in  isolated 
passages  occur  between  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  dealing  with  Noah 
and  the  Flood: 

(1)  God  finds  that  that  part  of  his  creation,  man,  in  whom  he  has  taken  the 
greatest  pride,  lies  deep  in  sin.  Compare  T  11.  28-31,  111  and  Y  PI.  VIII,  11.  6-16  for 
verbal  similarities. 

.     .     .     to  his  liknes  maide  man.  And  to  my  liknes  made  I  man, 

.     .     .    Adam  &  eue  that  woman,  A  womati  also  with  hym  wrought  I, 


To  multiplie  without  discord,  I  badde  Jjame  waxe  and  multiplye, 

To     fulfille     this     worlde,     withoutyn 
striffe 

In  erth  I  se  hot  syn  reynand  to  and         And  synne  is  nowe  reynand  so  ryffe. 
fro. 

(2)  God  repents  ever  having  made  man  and  decides  to  destroy  him  by  means  of 
a  flood,  saving  only  Noah,  his  family,  and  two  of  each  of  the  animals.  Compare 
T  11.  91-101  and  Y  PI.  VIII,  11.  15-16,  27-28  for  verbal  similarities. 

I  repente  full  sore  that  euer  maide  I         Jjat  me  repentys  and  rewys  forj)} 

man.  pat  euer  I  made  outhir  man  or  wiflfe. 

Therfor  shall  I  fordo  all  this  midell-         A  flowyd  above  ^ame  shall  be  broght, 

erd 
With  floodis  that  shall  flo.  To  stroye  medilerthe,      .     .     . 

»»  York  Play  XL.  11.  191-92. 

100  Towneley  Play  XXVII,  str.  3  and  30. 

101  Towneley  Play  XXVII,  str.  1  and  2  in  connection  with  Wakefield  str.  3;  str.  29  and  31  in  connection 
with  Wakefield  str.  30.     Str.  33,  39,  and  48  occur  separately. 


88  MARIE   C.  LYLE 


(3)  God  appears  to  Noah  and  gives  him  the  instructions  for  building  the  ship  and 
filling  it,  telling  him  that  it  will  begin  to  rain  in  seven  daj^s.  Compare  T  11.  147-48 
and  Y  PI.  VIII,  11.  138-39  for  verbal  similarities. 

//  shall  begyn  full  sone  to  rayn  vnces-         Eftir  ^e  vii  day  sail  it  rayne 

santle. 
After  dayes  seuen  be  done  and  induyr         Till  fowrty  dayes  be  fully  paste. 

dayes  fourty. 

(4)  Noah  rejoices  that  he  should  be  so  favored,  but  complains  of  his  inability  to 
carry  out  the  plan  because  of  his  old  age. 

(5)  Noah  works  on  the  ship  alone  for  a  hundred  years. 

(6)  A  comic  altercation  between  Noah  and  his  wife  ensues.  The  wife,  urged  by 
her  husband  to  enter  the  ark,  stubbornly  refuses,  offering  excuses.  The  argument 
increases  in  vehemence  until  finally  blows  are  exchanged.  In  the  end,  the  wife  is 
overcome  and  forced  to  enter  the  ship. 

(7)  The  flood  rises. 

(8)  The  flood  wanes. 

(a)  Twice,  we  are  told  that  the  waning  has  set  in.  Compare  T  11.  450,  458  and 
Y  PI.  IX,  11.  188,  204  for  verbal  similarities. 

It  is  vjayiyd  a  grete  dele.  For  be  the  wanyng  may  w^e  witte 

Yei,  now  wanys  the  see.  It  is  wanand,  Jois  wate  I  wele. 

(b)  The  cataracts  are  knit  together  and  the  sun  appears  in  the  horizon.  Com- 
pare T  1.  451  and  Y  PI.  1.  190  for  verbal  similarities. 

and  ca.teractes  knyt.  The  calteraks  I  trowe  be  knytte. 

(c)  Three  hundred  and  fifty  days  have  passed  in  Townelej^  since  the  beginning 
of  the  flood  and  nine  months  in  York,  as  against  the  traditional  forty  days. 

(d)  Noah,  sounding  the  sea,  finds  that  it  is  fifteen  cubits  deep.  Compare  T  11. 
433-34  and  Y  PI.  IX,  11.  195-96  for  verbal  similarities. 

and  I  shall  asay  I  sail  assaye  pe  see, 

The  depnes  of  the  see.  How  depe  J)at  it  is  here. 

(e)  At  the  sight  of  the  hills  of  Armenia,  there  is  rejoicing ; />e  hillis  of  hermonye, 
see  T  1.  466  and  Y  PL  IX,  1.  264. 

(f)  The  raven  is  sent  out  but  fails  to  return. 

(g)  The  dove  is  sent  out  and  returns  with  the  olive  branch,  the  token  of  their 
salvation;  lue  shall  be  sauyd  all,  T  1.  517,  and  ive  mone  be  saued,  Y  1.  260. 

(9)  As  the  family  leave  the  ship,  they  remark  upon  the  desolation  of  the  land  and 
the  drowning  of  the  people. 

These  similarities  appear  to  indicate  a  parent  version  of  which  the 
extant  York  and  Towneley  plays  represent  independent  revisions.^"-  The 
two  York  plays  are  thought  to  have  been  written  under  the  same  influence 
as  that  which  dominated  the  Northern  Septenar  productions, ^°^  and  may, 
therefore,  be  regarded  as  revisions  of  an  earlier  play.^"'*     The  Towneley 

"•2  Certain  similarities  with  Chester  may  be  explained  by  assuming  that  Chester  came  in  contact  with 
the  parent  play  or  some  earlier  version  of  it  than  those  now  extant. 

>»'  Davidson,  op.  cil.  144  ff. 

>o«  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  30  £f.  Although  Professor  Hohlfeld  (Ayiglia  1 1 :288)  admits  that  the  York  and 
Towneley  plays  stand  very  close  to  each  other  in  many  respects,  he  thinks  the  differences  so  numerous 
and  so  important  as  to  make  improbable  a  direct  relationship  between  the  two.  Professor  Gayley  (Plays 
of  Our  Forefathers  168),  on  the  other  hand,  believes  the  influence  of  York  upon  Towneley  not  unlikely. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY  CYCLES  89 

play,  composed  in  the  characteristic  metre  of  the  Wakefield  author,  also 
represents  a  revision. ^"^    Thus,  the  dissimilarities  are  adequatel}^  explained: 

(1)  The  York  play  handles  certain  incidents  not  treated  in  Towneley;  namely, 
the  v.-ife's  refusal  to  enter  the  ark  without  her  gossips  and  the  appearance  of  the  rain- 
bow. 

(2)  As  an  excuse  for  her  reluctance  to  enter  the  ark,  the  Towneley  wife  expresses 
a  desire  to  continue  her  spinning,  the  York  wife  to  go  to  town. 

(3)  The  satiric  remarks  directed  in  general  against  husbands,  wives,  and  mar- 
riage by  the  Towneley  Noah  and  his  wife  are  characteristic  of  the  Wakefield  author. 
The  greater  violence  of  the  Towneley  scene  may  also  be  ascribed  to  his  pen,  as  well  as 
the  additional  scene  of  altercation,  when  the  wife  learns  of  the  command  to  build  the 
ship.  The  additional  comments  at  the  close  of  the  play  concerning  the  desolation 
and  death  caused  by  the  flood  are  probably  also  by  the  same  author. 

TJw  Annunciation 

In  structural  outline  and  phraseology  the  English  plays  on  the  Annun- 
ciation agree  closely.^""  In  three  incidents,  however,  York  and  Towneley 
make  use  of  certain  phrases  not  found  in  the  other  cycles : 

(1)  Mary  can  not  understand  the  fulfillment  of  the  angel's  command.  Compare 
Til.  111-14  and  Y  11.  170-74. 

A  child  to  bere  thou  me  hetys,  Howe  sulde  it  be,  I  the  praye, 

Hoiv  stild  it  he?  That  I  sulde  consayve  c  childe 

I  cam  neuer  by  man's  syde,  I  knawe  no  man  Jjat  shulde  haue  fj'Ied 

Bot  has  avowed  my  madynhede.  My  maydenhode,  the  sothe  to  saj^e. 

(2)  Mary  is  told  that  Elizabeth  also  has  conceived  a  son.  Compare  T  11.  134-39 
and  Y  II.  181-84. 

Elesabeth,  thi  Cosyn,  that  is  cald  geld  Loo,  Elyzabeth,  pi  cosyne,  ne  myght 

She  has  conceyffed  a  son  in  elde,  hi  elde  consayne  a  childe  for  aide. 

And  this  is pis  is  pe  sexte  moneth  full  ryght. 

The  sext  moneth 

(3)  Mary,  praising  God,  resigns  herself  to  his  will.  Compare  T  II.  143-47  and 
Y  11.  187-92. 

/  lofe  my  lord  all  weldand,  /  love  my  lorde  with  herte  dere, 

I  am  his  madyn  at  his  hand,  Goddis  handmayden ,  lo!  me  here, 

I  trow  hodword  that  thou  me  brjmg,  To  his  will  all  redy  grayd. 

Be  done  to  me  in  all  thyng.  Be  done  to  me  of  all  manere, 

Thurgh  thy  worde 

Since  the  Towneley  Annunciation  is  contained  in  the  same  play  as 
Joseph's  Trouble,  in  all  probability  a  part  of  the  parent  03^016,^"^  one  may 
surmise  that  it  also  represents  the  parent  play  which  has  been  revised  by 
York  in  a  different  m^etre  but  without  an}''  elaboration  of  subject-matter. 

"5  See  Mrs.  Frank,  op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  15:181,  n.  4. 

106  See  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:290,   Davidson,  op.  cit.  158-63,  Cadj',  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:435  fiE.  and 
Hemingway,  op.  cit.  intro.  xvii  for  the  different  theories  advanced  to  explain  the  relationship. 
10'  See  above,  p.  56  fE. 


90  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

The  Visit  to  Elizabeth 

As  in  the  case  of  the  Annunciation,  the  Visit  to  Elizabeth  in  the  English 
cycles  is  composed  of  common  incidents  which  closely  follow  the  scriptural 
narrative.  York  and  Towneley,  however,  agree  in  certain  details  and 
phraseolog}^  not  found  in  the  other  cycles : 

(1)  The  welcome  by  Elizabeth,     Compare  T  11.  4-6  and  Y  11.  201-4  for  verbal 
similarities. 

Welcotn,  mary,  blj^ssed  blome,  Welcome!  mylde  Marie, 


loyfull  am  I  of  thi  com  Joifull  woman  am  I, 

To  me,  from  nazareth.  ]3at  I  nowe  see  J^e  here. 

(2)  The  inquiry  concerning  the  relatives.     Compare  T  U.  13-16  and  Y  11.  197-99 
for  verbal  similarities. 

ffuU  lang  shall  I  the  better  be,  Elyzabeth,  myn  awne  cosyne. 

That  I  may  speke  my  fyll  with  the.  Me  thoght  I  coveyte  alway  mast 

My  dere  kyns  Woman;  To  speke  with  pe  of  all  my  kynne. 
To  wytt  how  thi  freyndys  fare. 

(3)  Elizabeth's  commendation  of  Mary  for  placing  her  trust  in  God.     Compare 
T  11.  43-48  and  Y  11.  225-32  for  verbal  similarities. 

And  als,  mary,  hlyssed  be  thou,  Blissed  he  pou  grathely  grayed 

That  stedfastly  wold  trow,  

l)ou  trowed  and  helde  be  payed 


That  vnto  the  were  sayd  or  send.  All  pat  to  pe  is  saide. 

(4)  Mary's  desire  to  pray.  Compare  T  11.  49-51  and  Y  11.  237-40  for  verbal 
similarities,  with  the  retention  of  one  rhyme  word,  hele,  and  other  phrases. 

My  saull  lufys  my  lord  abuf,  My  saiile  sail  louying  ma 

Vnto  l)at  lord  so  lele. 
And  my  gost  gladys  with  luf.  And  my  gast  make  ioye  alswa 

In  god,  that  is  my  hele.  In  god  pat  es  my  hele. 

If,  as  we  suggested  above,  the  York  play  of  the  Annunciation  represents 
a  revision  of  the  Towneley  play,  then  the  York  Visit,  composed  in  the  same 
metre  and  included  in  the  same  play  as  the  Annunciation,  likewise  is  a 
revision.  If  this  be  the  case,  the  York  revision  appears  to  have  been 
influenced,  as  in  the  Northern  Septenar  plays, ^"^  by  a  desire  to  conform 
more  closely  to  scriptural  accounts.  It  not  only  follows  the  correct  order 
of  events.  Annunciation,  Salutation,  Joseph's  Trouble,  rather  than  the 
incorrect  order  given  in  Towneley,  but  it  also  omits  much  of  the  extraneous 
matter  concerning  the  relatives  which  the  Towneley  play  introduces. 

The  Examination  before  Caiaphas 

Among  the  English  cycles,  only  York  and  Towneley  separate  the 
incidents  connected  with  the  Examination  of  Caiaphas  from  the  incidents 
connected  with  the  various  trial  scenes  and  make  of  them  a  complete  play. 
Moreover,  certain  similarities  in  structural  outlines  and  phraseology  occur: 

iM  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  44  ff. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  91 


(1)  Jesus,  mocked  and  abused  by  the  soldiers,  is  led  to  Caiaphas. 

(2)  The  soldiers  complain  bitterly  about  the  difficulty  and  weariness  of  the 
journey. 

(3)  Accusations  are  brought  against  Jesus:  that  he  claims  to  be  able  to  destroy 
the  temple  and  rebuild  it  in  three  days;  that  he  cures  the  sick;  that  he  breaks  the  Sab- 
bath; that  he  calls  himself  God's  Son  (Men  call  hym  a  prophete  and  goddis  son  of 
heuen,  T  1.  91  and  Callis  hym  sclffe  God  sone  of  hevene,  Y  1.  50)  and  cares  nothing  for 
Caesar. 

(4)  Caiaphas,  himself,  offers  to  examine  Jesus.  Compare  T  11.  128,  235  and  Y 
1.  275  for  verbal  reminiscence. 

ffor  certys,  I  my  self  shall/ 

make  examynyng.  For  my  selfe  schall  serche  hym 

and  here  what  he  sais. 
And  therfore  examynyng  ffyrste  will  I 

make. 

(5)  Jesus  refuses  to  answer. 

(6)  The  Jews,  angry  because  of  Jesus'  silence,  wish  to  beat  him. 

(7)  Upon  being  asked  whether  or  not  he  is  the  son  of  God,  Jesus  answers.  Com- 
pare T  11.  249-54  and  Y  11.  292-97  for  verbal  similarities. 

(8)  The  Jews  then  consider  that  no  more  witnesses  are  needed.  Compare  T  11. 
259-60  and  Y  11.  302-5  for  verbal  similarities. 

Thou  art  worthy  to  del  Nowe  nedis  nowdir  wittenesse  ne  coun- 

we  nede  no  wytnes,  saille  to  call, 

hys  self  says  expres.  But  take  his  sawes  as  he  saieth    .     .     . 


Wherfore  he  is  wele  worthy  to  be  dede. 

(9)  Since  Caiaphas  does  not  possess  "temporal"  power,  they  decide  to  send  Jesus 
to  Pilate  for  judgment.  Compare  T  1.  291  (Sich  men  of  astate  shuld  no  men  deme) 
and  Y  1.  339  (se  awe  to  deme  noman). 

(10)  They  order  Jesus  beaten. 

(11)  The  scene  of  the  buffeting. 

(12)  Jesus  is  led  away  to  Pilate. 

Of  these  incidents,  those  numbered  (2),  (6),  and  (9)  do  not  occur  in 
the  source,  the  Northern  Passion,'^^^  and  may,  therefore  be  regarded  as 
evidence  pointing  to  a  parent  version,  of  which  the  extant  York  and  Towne- 
ley  plays  are  revisions.  In  both  cycles,  the  play  is  composed  in  a  late 
metre:  in  York,  it  occurs  in  a  corrupt  modification  of  the  Northern  Sep- 
tenar,'^"  and  in  Towneley  in  the  characteristic  strophe  of  the  Wakefield 
author. "1  In  its  revision,  York  apparently  added  two  new  scenes:  the 
preliminary  court  scene  and  perhaps  Peter's  denial.  The  former  scene 
was  probably  a  special  feature  since  it  contains  material  derived  from  the 
Gospel  of  Nicodemus}^'^ 

lO'See  above,  ch.  I,  pp.  18-20. 

>'»  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Aitglia  11:248,  Gayley,  Plays  of  Our  Forefathers  154,  and  Davidson,  op.  cit.  137 
regard  it  as  a  late  play. 

"I  See  below,  p.  101. 

"S  For  incorporation  of  material  from  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  compare  Y  11.  33-39  and  G  of  N  11.  39-44, 
Y  11.  40-45  and  G  of  N  Add.  11.  29-38.  Y  11.  50-54  and  G  of  N  11.  22-28,  Y  1.  57  and  G  of  N  11.  47-48. 


92  MARIE   C.  LYLE 


The  Ascension 

Similarities  in  certain  details  and  in  isolated  passages  occur  between  the 
York  and  Towncley  plays  of  the  Ascension: 

(1)  The  disciples  await  together  Jesus'  coming  and  the  approaching  events. 

(2)  Jesus  appears  to  the  disciples,  reproaches  them  for  being  hard  of  heart  and 
unbelieving,  and  exhorts  them  to  preach  the  gospel.  "In  /mrc/ness  youre  Jiarlys  ar 
fast"  (T  1.  200),  "And  wondir  harde  of  harlis  ar  se"  (Y  1.  84). 

(3)  Jesus  promises  to  return  at  Doomsday  in  order  to  judge  man.  In  the  mean- 
time, he  promises  to  send  the  Holy  Ghost. 

(4)  The  clouds  open  to  receive  Jesus  and  he  ascends. 

(5)  Mary  is  both  joyful  and  sorrowful  at  Jesus'  departure.  Compare  T  11.  298- 
301,  348-55  and  Y  11.  179-82  for  verbal  similarities. 

A  selcouth  sight  yonder  now  is,  A  sclcoiith  sight  is  l^is  to  see, 

Mi  sone  lius  to  be  ravisshed  right 

A  clowde  has  borne  my  chylde  to  blys.         In  a  clowdc  wcndande  vppe  fro  me. 

(6)  Mary  fears  the  Jews  and  John  attempts  to  comfort  her. 

(7)  The  angels  proclaim  Jesus'  ascension.  Compare  T  11.  254-68  and  Y  11.  219- 
24  for  verbal  similarities,  with  the  retention  of  two  rhyme  words,  Galile  and  se,  and 
other  phrases. 

ye  men  of  galylee,  ^e  men  of  l^e  lande  of  Galile, 

wherfore  mcruell  ye?  What  wondir  se  to  heuene  lokand? 

hevyn  behold  and  se  Jjis  Jesus  whome  5e  fro  youe  sec 

how  ihesus  vp  can  weynde  Vppe-iane,  se  schall  well  vndirstande. 


Right  so  shall  he,  securly.  Right  so  agayne  come  doune  schall  he, 

Com  downe  agane  truly, 

with  his  woundys  blody.  When  he  so  comes  with  woundes 

bledatid. 

(8)  The  disciples  lead  Mary  away. 

(9)  The  disciples  leave  for  Jerusalem. 

Undoubtedly,  the  Wakefield  variants,  the  double  quatrains,  and  the 
strophes  rhyming  ababbcbecded  represent  later  additions,  because  the 
subject-matter  with  which  they  deal  is  a  repetition  or  an  elaboration  of 
incidents  contained  in  the  simpler  metres,  the  ri?ne  couce  and  the  single 
quatrain.    The  single  quatrains  may  also  be  a  revision  for  the  same  reasons. 

(1)  Perhaps  in  imitation  of  the  three  appearances  of  Jesus  in  the  Incredulity  of 
Thomas,  the  Towncley  play  of  the  Ascension  also  makes  him  appear  three  times."' 
The  first  appearance  occurs  in  strophes  rhyming  ababbcbecded  and  abab,"''  the  second 
appearance  in  ababbcbecded,  ababcdddc,  and  aaabcccb,"^  and  the  third  in  single 
quatrains."* 

(2)  Mary  repeats  her  comments  upon  Jesus'  ascension,  both  times  in  single 
quatrains,  which  may  be  an  indication  of  two  quatrain  writers,  or  the  bungling  work 
of  one. 

"'  Hohlfcld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:303  suggests  that  this  is  in  imitation  of  the  three  appearances  of  Jesus 
in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 
»'«  Lines  25-52. 
'"Lines  101-57. 
"»  Lines  194  fif. 


THE    YORK   AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  93 

(3)  Jesus'  promise  to  come  again  at  Doomsday  occurs  twice,  once  in  the  rime 
couee  and  again  in  single  quatrains. 

(4)  The  disciples'  marvelling  at  Jesus'  ascension  seems  to  be  a  repetition  in 
Wakefield  variants  of  material  given  in  single  quatrains.  ^ 

(5)  John's  attempt  to  comfort  Mary  occurs  twice,  both  times  in  single  quatrains, 
as  in  (2). 

Certain  of  the  incidents,  common  to  York  and  Towneley,  are  further 
elaborated  in  York: 

(1)  Jesus'  appearance  is  marked  b}?^  the  presence  of  additional  details. 

(2)  In  his  reproach  of  the  disciples,  Jesus  contrasts  their  distrust  with  Mary's 
loyalty. 

(3)  The  disciples'  marvelling  at  Jesus'  ascension  is  much  elaborated. 

(4)  The  disciples  promise  to  care  for  Mary  as  they  lead  her  away. 

(5)  Mary  proclaims  Jesus  as  her  son. 

Thus,  both  the  York  and  Towneley  plays  appear  to  be  revisions  of  an 
earlier  play.  Perhaps,  the  parent  play  is  extant,  in  part,  in  the  rime  couee 
stanzas  of  the  Towneley  play. 

Fourth  Group  of  Plays 

In  the  fourth  group,  we  have  the  plays  which  show  certain  similarities 
in  structural  outlines,  but  without  extensive  or  significant  agreements  in 
phraseology.  In  the  case  of  these  plays,  we  can  not  be  sure  that  the 
resemblance  is  indicative  of  an  original  identity.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  possible  that  independent  revisions  destroyed  traces  of  verbal  agree- 
ment. 

Cain  and  Abel 

The  gap  in  the  York  manuscript  in  the  midst  of  the  play  on  Cain  and 
Abel,  covering  such  important  incidents  as  the  tithing  and  the  murder  of 
Abel,  makes  a  complete  comparison  with  the  Towneley  play  impossible. 
In  spite  of  this  difficulty,  however,  York  and  Towneley  show  certain 
similarities  in  incidents  and  phraseology,  not  found  in  the  other  English 
plays."''    Both  cycles  include: 

(-1)  A  comic  episode  between  Cain  and  his  Garcio. 

(2)  Cain's  obstinacy  before  acceding  to  Abel's  entreaties  to  make  the  sacrifice. 

Similarities  in  phraseology^  are  found  in  the  following  lines : 

(1)  Tl.  174  and  Y  1.  3. 

God  that  shape  both  erth  and  heuen.  He  shoppe  Jje  Sonne,  both  see  &  sande. 

(2)  T  1.  345  and  Y  1.  84. 

What  askis  thou  me?     I  trow  at  hell.  What  askes  thowe  me  that  taill  to  tell? 

II'  Because  it  treats  incidents  not  found  in  York  or  Towneley,  the  Chester  play  diflfers  considerably: 
(a)  Adam's  vision  while  Eve  was  being  created;  (b)  Cain  tells  his  parents  of  the  murder;  (c)  the  lamenta- 
tions of  Adam  and  Eve  over  the  sorrows  and  misfortunes  of  life. 


94  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

(3)  T  11.  351-53  and  Y  11.  100-1."8 

The  voyce  of  thi  brotheris  blode  pe  voice  of  his  bloode  cryeth  vengeaunce 


from  erth  to  heuen  venyance  cryse.  Fro  erlhe  to  heuen. 

(4)  T  1.  355  and  Y  11.  90  and  107. 

here  I  gif  the  my  malison.  God  hais  sent  the  his  malyson. 

God  has  gefiynpe  his  malisonne. 

(5)  T  11.  361-65  and  Y  11.  121-26. 

/  shall  hyde  me  fro  thi  face.  Fro  \)e  shalle  I  be  hidde  in  hye. 

(6)  Tl.  370  and  Yl.  128.»9 

Nay,  caytn,  it  bese  not  so.  Nay,   Cayme  nou^t  soo,  haue  Jjou  no 

drede. 

The  divergences  in  the  two  plays  may  be  explained  by  later  revisions 
in  both  cycles.  The  complicated  strophe  form  of  the  York  play 
(ababbcdbccd)  may  be  evidence  of  a  later  revision  of  that  play;  at  any 
rate,  the  Brewbarret  episode  was  not  entered  in  the  Register  until  1558.^-" 
The  variety  of  metrical  forms  in  the  Towneley  play  is  itself  an  indication 
of  revision. 

The  determination  of  the  probable  earlier  and  later  stages  in  the 
development  of  the  Towneley  play  and  the  relation  of  the  play  to  the 
parent  cycle  present  an  interesting  study.  The  greater  part,  in  fact  the 
body  of  the  play,  is  written  in  couplets;  a  number  of  twelve-  or  thirteen- 
line  strophes,  rhyming  aaabcccbbdbd  or  aaabccccbbdbd,  appear  at  the 
beginning,  and  two  strophes  in  the  favorite  metre  of  the  Wakefield  author 
at  the  close,  while  interspersed  among  the  couplets  occur  variations  of  the 
simple  rime  conee,  or  what  may  be  corruptions  of  the  pedes  of  the  twelve- 
or  thirteen-line  strophe. ^^i  Because  of  its  extraordinary  boldness  and 
characteristic  humor,  as  well  as  the  presence  of  two  Wakefield  strophes, 
the  play  has  generally  been  considered  a  later  revision  by  the  Wakefield 
author.'^^  Professor  Cady,'-^  however,  believes  that  the  original  play  was 
composed  in  the  twelve-line  strophe  form,  and  that  the  couplets  represent 
a  later  revision.  Professor  Gayley,^^*  on  the  other  hand,  argues  that  the 
couplets  represent  the  older  play,  asserting  that  the  final  reviser,  "our 
Wakefield  master  has  not  only  added  the  last  two  stanzas  in  his  favorite 
form,  but  has  probably  lent  spice  to  the  first  seven."    He  thinks  that  the 

"'  Cf.  Ch  p.  41.     thy  brothers  bloode  askes  thee  upon 

Vengeance,  as  faste  as  it  can, 

From  earth  to  me  cryinge. 
"•  Cf.  Ch  p.  42.     Naye,  Cayme,  thou  shalte  not  dye  sone. 
»"  See  Smith,  ibid.  35,  37,  and  intro.  xv. 
"'  Cady,  ibid.  JRGP  10:573  ff. 

'"  Pollard,  ibid,  intro.  xxii;  Gayley,  ibid.  165-66;  Bunzen,  ibid.  42  ff. 
>"  Cady,  ibid.  JRGP  10:573. 
"♦  Gayley,  ibid.  186;  also  in  Internal.  Quar.  12:86. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  95 

playwright  left  "the  other  stanzas  much  as  they  were,"  but  "heightened 
the  characterization  of  Cain  and  his  boy,  enriched  their  speech  with 
proverbs,  and  made  of  Abel  something  other  than  the  milksop  presented 
in  the  earlier  cycles." 

It  is,  then,  evident  that  the  Towneley  play  is  the  work  of  at  least  two 
different  writers,  whose  general  method,  style,  and  metrical  form  differ 
considerably.  Humorous  passages  occur  only  in  the  twelve-  or  thirteen- 
line  strophes,  the  rime  coitee,  and  the  irregular  couplets,  whereas  the 
serious  action  of  the  play  is  developed  in  the  couplets  which  are,  for  the 
most  part,  regular  in  metre  and  rhyme. 

With  the  exception  of  two  episodes,  the  failure  of  Cain's  sacrifice  to 
burn  and  God's  curse  upon  Cain,  the  incidents  occurring  in  the  regular 
couplets  form  the  framework  of  the  play. 

(1)  Lines  68-77.  Abel  exhorts  Cain  to  come  with  him  and  make  burnt  oflFerings 
of  a  tenth  of  his  cattle  and  corn. 

(2)  Lines  91-96.  Cain  refuses  to  leave  his  plough  and  "work  for  God"  who  has 
given  him  only  sorrow  and  woe. 

(3)  Lines  167-223.  Abel  finally  prevails  upon  Cain  to  make  the  sacrifice.  Abel 
tithes  his  shares  first,  lights  them  and  humbly  prays  God  to  accept  them.  Then  Cain 
begins  his  tithing,  but  offers  his  poorest  corn  and  miscounts  them.  Abel  remonstrates, 
but  to  no  avail. 

(4)  Lines  311-27.     Cain  kills  Abel  with  a  cheek-bone. 

On  the  other  hand,  additions  to  the  fundamental  incidents  or  elabora- 
tions of  them  occur  in  the  twelve-  or  thirteen-line  strophes,  the  rime  coiiee, 
and  the  irregular  couplets. 

(1)  Lines  1-36.  Cain,  introduced  by  a  ranting  speech  of  the  Garcio,  enters  with 
his  plough,  and  rails  at  his  horse  as  "the  worse  mare"  he  ever  had. 

(2)  Lines  37-56.     A  scene  of  wrangling  between  Cain  and  the  Garcio. 

(3)  Lines  57-67.     Abel,  entering,  greets  Cain,  but  is  ill-received. 

(4)  Lines  78-90;  97-166.  Repetition  and  elaboration  occur  in  connection  with 
Cain's  unwillingness  to  make  the  sacrifice  and  Abel's  exhortations  to  him. 

(5)  Lines  224-310.  The  false  tithing  on  the  part  of  Cain,  and  Abel's  remonstrance 
are  elaborated  upon.  In  connection  with  this  scene,  God  reproves  Cain  who,  in  turn, 
is  impudent. 

(6)  Lines  355-77.  God,  appearing  to  Cain,  utters  the  curse,  and  Cain,  lament- 
ing, wishes  to  be  buried  in  "Gudeboure."^-^ 

(7)  Lines  378-473.  Wishing  to  bury  the  body,  Cain  calls  the  Garcio,  but  is 
forced  to  give  him  a  proclamation  of  pardon  in  order  to  insure  his  silence  concerning 
the  murder.  Then  Cain  curses  him,  puts  him  to  work  with  the  plough,  and  bidding 
the  spectators  farewell,  says  he  must  betake  himself  to  hell. 

We  may,  then,  conclude  that  the  original  play,  perhaps  the  one  present 
in  the  parent  cycle,  was  composed  in  couplets,  which  was  later  revised  by 
a  writer  who  not  only  stressed  the  comic  possibilities  of  the  old  scenes, 
but  invented  additional  episodes,  especially  in  connection  with  the  Garcio. 

1^' Refers  to  Gudeboure  Close  in  Wakefield.     See  Peacock,  op.  cil.  Anglia  24:509  £f.     Chambers,  op. 
cit.  2:415. 


96  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

Still  another  criterion  might  be  applied  in  the  attempt  to  distinguish 
the  remains  of  the  earlier  play  from  the  later  revision;  namely,  the  two 
different  spellings  of  the  name  Cain, — "Cam"  and  "Cayme," — which  are 
found  in  the  text  of  the  play.  In  general,  the  spelling  "Cam"  is  used  in 
the  parts  which,  upon  stylistic  grounds,  appear  to  be  of  earlier  origin, 
whereas  the  spelling  "Ca^^me"  appears  in  the  parts  which  seem  to  indicate 
a  later  revision.'-^ 

Abraham  and  Isaac 

The  York  and  Towneley  plays  of  Abraham  and  Isaac  show  certain 
points  of  similarity,  which  are  not  found  in  the  other  English  plays : 

(1)  In  his  soliloquy  at  the  beginning  of  the  play,  Abraham  speaks  of  his  age  as 
being  a  hundred  years.  Compare  T  11.  9-10  and  38  with  Y  11.  1  and  6  for  verbal  simi- 
larities. 

Mercy,  lord  omnipotent! 

long  syn  he  this  world  has  wroght.  Grett    god,    J^at    alle    pis    world    has 

wrought, 

An  hundreth  yens,  certis,  haue  I  seyne.         A  hundereth  wynter  to  fulfille. 

(2)  God  decides  to  test  Abraham's  faith. 

(3)  Abraham  accepts  God's  command  cheerfully.  Compare  T  11.  76,  81  and 
Y  11.  75,  103  for  verbal  similarities,  not  found  in  the  other  plays. 

ffor  certis  thi  bidyng  shal  he  done.  God  wille  Jiis  dede  he  done. 

This  commaundement  must  I  nedis/w/-         Goddis  commaundement  to  fulfille. 
fill. 

(4)  The  York  and  Towneley  plays  include  the  two  servants  who  lead  the  ass 
laden  with  wood  for  the  sacrifice.  Save  for  Dublin,  none  of  the  other  plays  mention 
servants. 

(5)  Only  York  and  Towneley  mention  the  length  of  time  required  for  the  journey, 
three  days,  and  the  name  of  the  destination,  Mt.  Vision. 

(6)  The  reference  at  the  close  of  the  York  play  to  Rebecca  may  be  evidence  of 
the  existence  of  a  complete  Abraham-family  group  in  the  parent  cycle,  as  in  the 
extant  Towneley  cycle.  This  reference  appears  to  be  significant,  because  none  of  the 
other  plays  look  forward  to  a  possible  continuation  of  the  group. 

(7)  The  following  similarity  in  phraseology  is  especially  significant,  with  the 
retention  of  the  two  rhyme  words,  bowne  and  towne.  Compare  T  11.  129-32  and  Y  11. 
113-17. 

luke  thou  be  bowne;  Att  youre  biddyng  we  wille  be  bowne, 

Sot  certan,  son,  thi  self  and  I,  What  way  in  worlde  t)at  5e  wille  wende. 

wetwomust  now  weyndfurth  oi  towne,         Why,   sail   we   trusse  ought  forthe  a 

towne 
In  far  country  to  sacrifie.  In  any  vncouthe  lande  to  lende? 

The  revision  of  the  York  play  in  the  Northern  Septenar^^?  jg  sufficient 
to  explain  the  slightness  of  the  resemblance  between  the  two  plays.    Prob- 

iM  Suggested  by  Professor  Manly. 
»'  See  above,  ch.  11,  p.  44  fiE. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  97 

ably  the  Northern  Septenar  playwright  considered  the  pitiful  pleadings  of 
the  Isaac,  usually  portrayed  in  the  mysteries,^^^  undignified,  if  not  sac- 
rilegious. Isaac  is,  therefore,  portrayed  as  a  prototype  of  Christ,  and 
consequently  all  reference  to  natural  fears  or  misgivings,  which  might  be 
construed  as  unbecoming,  are  consistently  excluded.  Nor  is  Abraham 
portrayed  as  a  father  torn  between  two  great  emotions,  the  feeling  of 
parental  love  and  the  feeling  of  religious  duty.  The  mother  motif,  given 
a  prominent  position  in  the  other  plays,  is  omitted,  perhaps  for  the  same 
reason. 

The  Towneley  play  may  be  an  adaptation  of  an  earlier  York  play, 
later  discarded,  as  suggested  by  Professor  Gayley.^^^  It  may  even  be  the 
earlier  York  play  itself,  but  the  presence  of  four  couplets  in  the  midst  of 
the  double  quatrains  seem  rather  to  point  to  a  still  earlier  play.  Since  the 
two  plays  immediately  following  it,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  supposed  to  be  the 
earliest  section  of  the  cycle, ^^^  are  composed  in  couplets,  it  is  possible  to 
suggest  that  the  parent  cycle  may  have  contained  a  complete  Abraham- 
family  group  in  couplets. ^^^ 

Mr.  Hugenin,^^-  following  Professor  Davidson's  theory^^^  that  a  couplet 
editor  worked  over  the  Towneley  cycle,  concludes  that  the  couplets  in  the 
Abraham  play  are  a  later  interpolation  from  the  Viel  Testament, ^^^  suggested 
by  the  mention  of  Adam  in  two  of  the  double  quatrain  passages. ^^°  Because 
of  the  references  in  double  quatrains,  however,  it  seems  likely  that  the 
couplets  represent,  not  a  later  interpolation,  but  the  remains  of  an  earlier 
play,  and  that  the  original  couplet  version  contained  three  references  to 
Adam,  two  of  which  underwent  revision  in  quatrains,  while  the  third 
remained  intact  in  its  original  couplet  form;  or  it  may  be,  that  the 
quatrain  passages  in  question  represent  an  elaboration  of  the  couplets. 

The  Scourging  or  Condemnation 

The  twenty-second  Towneley  play,  the  Scourging,  corresponds  to  two 
plays  in  the  York  cycle,  the  Condemnation  and  On  the  Way  to  Calvary. 
The  practical  identity  of  the  incidents  connected  with  On  the  Way  to  Calvary 
indicates  the  existence  of  a  parent  play  which  in  its  account  of  the  Con- 
demnation underwent  revision  in  both  cycles.     The  Towneley  version  of 

"s  Cf.  Viel  Testament,  Chester,  Towneley,  Brome,  and  Dublin  plays. 

'-'  Gayley,  op.  cit.  134,  n.  1.     See  also  Pollard,  op.  cit.  xxvi. 

"0  Ten  Brink,  op.  cit.  2:244;  3:274. 

131  Because  of  the  presence  of  the  same  type  of  couplets  in  the  Fall  of  the  Angels  and  Cain  and  Abel, 
it  is  even  possible  that  originally  the  whole  Old  Testament  group  was  composed  in  couplets. 

"2  Hugenin,  An  Interpolation  in  the  Towneley  Abraham  Play,  Mod.  Lang.  Notes  14:256. 

133  Davidson,  op.  cit.  130  and  Cady,  op.  cit.  JEGP  10:579  believe  these  couplets  are  editorial. 

13*  Viel  Testament,  ed.  Rothschild. 

135  xhe  passages  in  question  are  Abraham's  monologue,  where  two  stanzas  are  devoted  to  him,  and 
line  61,  where  Adam's  name  is  again  mentioned. 


98  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

the  Condemnation,  composed  in  the  characteristic  metre  of  the  Wakefield 
writer,  and  the  York  play,  in  a  twelve-line  alliterative  stanza  rhyming 
ababbcbcdccd,  are  clearly  the  result  of  late  revisions'^"  which  were  so 
thorough-going,  that  although  it  is  possible  to  trace  a  similarity  in  under- 
lying structure,  none  remains  in  phraseology.'"  This  situation  is  ex- 
plained, in  large  part,  by  the  fact  that  the  York  play  in  its  revision  intro- 
duced certain  incidents  from  the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  as  the  bowing  of 
the  standards,  Pilate's  forced  obeisance  to  Jesus,  and  the  suggestion  that 
the  high  priests  judge  Jesus. 

The  York  play,  stripped  of  these  incidents,  assumes  an  outline  which 
corresponds  more  nearly,  not  only  to  the  extant  Towneley  play,  but  also 
to  the  earlier  form  of  the  York  play  as  described  by  Burton  in  the  1415 
list.'38 

The  Towneley  Pilate's  pretence  of  befriending  Jesus  and  the  York 
Pilate's  perception  of  the  "hideousness"  of  the  accusations  are  not  incon- 
sistent with  the  theory  of  an  original  identity  of  the  two  plays,  for  they 
are  but  manifestations  of  the  difference  in  the  characterization  of  Pilate 
already  noted  in  the  case  of  other  plays. '^^ 

Fifth  Group  of  Plays 

It  is  impossible  to  make  a  complete  comparison  of  the  Purification, 
because  of  the  fragmentary  condition  of  the  Towneley  manuscript  at  this 
point.  In  the  portion  remaining,  Professor  Cady'^"  traces  a  similarity  in 
underlying  structure.  Because  of  the  addition  of  Anna  and  the  clerks,  he 
suggests  that  the  York  play  is  later.  This  conclusion  is  borne  out  by  its  con- 
fused metre  and  by  its  late  entry  in  the  register,  in  1558.'^'  The  Towneley 
play,  composed  in  the  rime  couee,  represents  apparently  an  early  stage  in 
the  Towneley  cycle. '^^  "^he  few  points  of  similarity  in  structural  outlines 
may  be  due  to  derivation  from  a  common  source,  or  it  may  be  that  this 
play  was  not  present  in  the  parent  cycle. 

Sixth  Group  of  Plays 

It  now  remains  to  discuss  the  plays  which  are  contained  in  only  one  of 
the  cycles.  Of  the  six  Towneley  plays  not  now  included  in  York,  two, 
the  Hanging  oj  Judas  and  the  Talents,  are  subjects  of  older  York  plays"^ 

i3«  See  Gayley,  op.  cit.  154  and  161;  Pollard,  op.  cit,  intro.  xxii;  Bunzen,  op.  cit.  14  ff.;  and  below,  p.  101. 
'"  See  above,  chart,  ch.  I,  p.  20-22. 

"8  See  Smith,  op.  cit.  intro.  xxv;  and  above,  ch.  II,  p.  32. 
1"  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  44  ff.  and   p.  78. 
i«o  Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:4S6. 
'"  See  Smith,  op.  cit.  intro.  xv. 

'"  Pollard,  op.  cit.  intro.  xxiii  f.;  Gayley,  op.  cit.  161. 

"•See  1415  Burton  list.  Smith,  op.  ct7.  intro.  xix  £E.;  undated  Burton  list,  Davies  op.  cit.  app.  233;  1422 
record.  Mem.  Bk.,  Sur.  Soc.  120:155;  Riley,  Hist.  MS.  Report  1:109. 


THE    YORK   AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  99 

and  may,  therefore  represent  the  parent  form.  Two  of  the  plays,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  are  composed  in  couplets  and  the  other  two,  the  Prophetae  and 
Octavian  in  the  rime  couee,  metres  which  we  believe  were  used  to  some 
extent  b}-  the  parent  cj^cle.^'*'*  The  omission  of  these  plays  from  the  extant 
York  cycle  may  have  been  due  to  the  crafts  which  repeatedly  discarded 
plays  because  they  grew  tired  of  them  or  were  unable  to  support  them.^'*^ 

The  omission  of  plays  in  the  Towneley  cycle  may  be  explained,  in  part, 
by  gaps  in  the  manuscript.  The  gap  of  twelve  pages  near  the  beginning 
accounts  for  the  loss  of  most  of  the  Temptation  oj  Adam  and  Eve  and  Their 
Fall,  as  well  as  the  Expulsion }^^  The  gap  of  twelve  pages  near  the  end  of 
the  manuscript  probably  explains  the  loss  of  the  pla}^  on  the  Descent  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  perhaps  also  one  or  two  Mary  plays. 

Again,  it  is  possible  that  certain  plays  once  forming  a  part  of  the  Towne- 
ley cycle  were  not  copied  in  the  manuscript  with  the  others.  Since  the  two 
extant  trial  plays,  the  Examination  before  Caiaphas  and  the  Final  Con- 
demnation by  Pilate, ^^"^  occur  in  the  characteristic  metre  of  the  Wakefield 
writer,  Professor  Cady^'*^  suggests  that  the  intermediate  trial  scenes,  the 
First  Trial  before  Pilate  and  the  Trial  before  Herod,^"^^  were  dropped  because 
"the  superior  interest  of  the  Wakefield  scenes  crowded  out  other  less 
interesting  matter."  Whether  this  be  the  actual  reason  for  the  omissions 
or  not,  it  is  impossible  to  say,  but  certainly  such  intermediate  plays  did 
exist  at  one  time,  because  of  references  to  them  in  the  extant  plays. ^^° 
The  Preliminary  Trial  before  Pilate  is  referred  to  in  the  scene  of  the 
Capture  where  Caiaphas  bids  the  soldiers  take  Jesus  to  Pilate: 

Now  sen  he  is  welle  bett,  weynd  on  youre  gate, 
And  tell  ye  the  forfett  vnto  sir  Pylate.^" 

The  Trial  before  Herod  is  referred  to  in  the  Final  Condemnation  before 
Pilate  where  one  of  the  soldiers  tells  Pilate  of  his  coming  before  Herod: 

I  haue  ron  that  I  swett  from  sir  herode  oure  kyng 

With  this  man  that  wille  not  lett  oure  lawes  to  downe  bryng.^^- 

Whether  the  absence  of  a  Nativity  play  in  the  Towneley  cycle  is  to  be 
ascribed  to  the  loss  of  a  play  originally  forming  a  part  of  the  cycle,  or 
whether  the  cycle  never  contained  such  a  play,  is  more  difficult  to  determine. 
Professor  Cady^^^  offers  a  similar  suggestion  to  that  for  the  intermediate 

"«See  above,  pp.  56  ff.,  68  ff..  71  ff.,  75  ff.,  79  ff.,  93  ff. 

i«  See  below,  ch.  V,  p.  105  ff. 

»*•  See  Pollard,  op.  cit.  9,  n. 

1"  Towneley  Plays  XXI  and  XXII. 

"8  Cady.  op.  cil.  PMLA  24:441  and  Mod.  Phil.  10:589. 

1*9  These  two  scenes  correspond  to  York  plays  XXX,  XXXI,  and  perhaps  XXXII. 

150  Hohlfeld,  op.  cit.  Anglia  11:297  called  attention  to  these. 

151  Pollard,  op.  cit.  242,  11.  424-25. 
15=  Loc.  cit.  244,  11.  53-54. 

153  Cady,  op.  cit.  PMLA  24:441. 


100  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

trial  scenes,  namely,  that  the  greater  interest  taken  in  the  productions  of 
the  Wakefield  author,  in  this  case  the  two  Shepherds'  plays,  caused  the 
dropping  of  the  Nativity. 

In  certain  cases,  plays  occurring  in  York  but  lacking  in  Towneley  may 
be  regarded  as  later  insertions  in  the  York  cycle.  Probably  such  plays 
as  the  Temptation,  the  Woman  Taken  in  Adultery,  and  the  Transfiguration 
were  later  additions. ^^'^  The  extant  records  of  the  crafts  responsible  for 
Pilate^s  Wife's  Dream,  as  well  as  the  Temptation,  point  to  the  later  incor- 
poration of  these  plays.^^^  Undoubtedly,  the  Mary  plays  also  represent  a 
more  extended  separation  and  expansion  at  a  late  period  in  the  development 
of  the  York  cycle.^^® 

Conclusion 

Thus,  certain  similarities,  not  occurring  in  the  other  English  cycles,  are 
found  in  all  the  corresponding  plays  of  York  and  Towneley,  save  one,  the 
Purification.  Because  of  the  practical  identity  of  five  plays  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  sixth,  there  can  be  no  question  about  the  possibility  of  an  original 
identity.  These  plays,  it  should  be  noted,  do  not  appear  in  a  single  group 
or  section  of  the  cycle,  but  are  scattered  throughout,  one  play  appearing 
in  each  of  the  four  cyclic  groups,  the  Pharaoh  in  the  Old  Testament,  the 
Doctors  in  the  Nativity,  the  Bearing  of  the  Cross  in  the  Passion,  and  the 
Resurrection  proper  in  the  Resurrection  group.  The  Harrowing  of  Hell 
forms  the  connecting  link  between  two  of  the  groups,  and  the  Last  Judg- 
ment serves  as  the  conclusion  for  the  entire  cycle.  These  plays,  escaping 
revision,^^^  indicate,  we  believe,  the  relation  originally  existing  in  the  two 
cycles,  while  the  remaining  plays,  undergoing  revisions,  retain  only  in 
slighter  degrees,  traces  of  the  original  identity. 

Development  of  the  Towneley  Cycle 

With  slight  modifications,  the  general  theory  concerning  the  probable 
development  of  the  Towneley  cycle^^^  is  in  keeping  with  the  theory  of  an 
original  identity  of  York  and  Towneley.  The  three  stages  pointed  out  by 
Mr.  Pollard^^^  become,  according  to  our  theory,  two  stages.  The  early 
religious  group  of  plays  and  the  so-called  York  "borrowings"  represent, 
we  believe,  the  parent-cycle  stage,  and  the  work  of  the  Wakefield  author 
independent  revisions  in  the  Towneley  cycle.  Instead  of  an  independent 
Towneley  cycle,  then,  which  incorporated  certain  York  plays,  we  have 
extant  in  Towneley  a  part  of  the  parent  cycle  in  Mr.  Pollard's  so-called 

'"  See  above,  ch.  II,  p.  46. 

iM  See  below,  ch.  V,  p.  107. 

iM  See  below,  ch.  V,  p.  106. 

"'  The  revisions  in  these  plays  are  very  slight. 

"•  Pollard,  op.  cil.  intro.  xxvii;  Gayley,  op.  cit.  161  ff. 

'"  Loc.  cit. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  101 

first  and  second  groups.  So  far  as  the  development  of  the  Towneley  cycle 
is  concerned,  there  is  no  real  difference  between  these  two  groups  of  plays, 
save  that  the  first  group  probably  represents  an  earlier  stage  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  parent  cycle  than  does  the  second  group.  So  far  as  the  theory 
of  an  original  identity  of  York  and  Towneley  is  concerned,  the  only  dif- 
ference between  these  two  groups  of  plays  is  that  the  plays  in  the  first 
group  either  were,  as  we  have  seen,  dropped  from  the  York  cycle  or  under- 
went revision  there,  while  the  plays  in  the  second  group  remained  practically 
unchanged. 

For  our  present  purpose  it  is  not  necessary  to  determine  the  number  of 
successive  revisions  through  which  the  plays  of  the  Towneley  cycle  passed, 
or  the  order  in  which  these  revisions  occurred.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  refer 
to  the  evidence  already  presented  which  appears  to  indicate  that  the 
couplets  and  perhaps  also  some  of  the  quatrains,  are  a  survival  of  the 
parent-cycle  stage. ^^^  On  the  other  hand,  the  Wakefield  author  wrote 
after  the  separation  of  the  two  cycles. ^^^ 

160  See  especially  the  situation  in  the  Last  Supper,  above,  p.  79  ff. 

161  See  especially  the  situation  in  the  Agony  and  Betrayal,  above,  p.  81  £F.  Accepting  Mr.  Pollard's 
three  stages.  Professor  Cady,  (op.  oil.  JEGP  10:573  ff.  and  Mod.  Phil.  10:599)  argues  that  since  editorial 
couplets  do  not  occur  in  connection  with  the  group  of  "direct  York  borrowings,"  but  do  in  the  other  two 
groups,  that  the  York  borrowings  were  the  latest  addition  to  the  Towneley  cycle.  But  later  (pp.  576-78) 
he  invalidates  this  argument  when  he  admits  that  in  one  case  editorial  couplets  do  appear  in  connection 
with  the  "York  borrowings."  Mrs.  Frank  {op.  cit.  Mod.  Phil.  15:181  ff.)  shows  the  improbability  of  his 
theory. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  PROBABLE  DATE  OF  SEPARATION 

The  theory  of  an  original  identity  of  the  York  and  Towneley  cycles 
naturall}''  calls  for  some  consideration  of  the  probable  date  of  their  separa- 
tion. For  this,  vce  are  dependent  entirely  upon  the  craft  records  of  York 
during  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth,  and  sixteenth  centuries,^  since  no  records 
for  the  Townele}'-  cycle  are  extant. 

On  the  basis  of  these  records,  Davies^  and  Miss  Smith^  conclude  that  the 
Corpus  Christi  plays  had  existed  in  York  many  years  previous  to  the  end 
of  the  fourteenth  century.  The  records  of  this  period  show  that  each 
craft  had  its  assigned  pageant  to  which  members  contributed,  and  that 
there  existed  a  certain  number  of  stations  before  which  the  plays  were 
given.  Even  at  that  early  date,  the  cycle  had  attained  some  fame  outside 
the  city  portals,  for  King  Richard  II  graced  them  with  his  presence  in 
1397.  From  the  two  Burton  lists,*  the  Register,  and  other  documents. 
Miss  Smith  draws  certain  conclusions  regarding  the  relation  between  the 
crafts  and  the  Corpus  Christi  plays.  "As  business  grew,"  she  says,  "a  new 
craft  would  spring  up,  an  old  one  decay  and  become  too  poor  to  produce 
its  play,  a  new  one  must  take  its  share;  one  craft  trenching  on  the  trade 
of  another  must  share  its  burdens,  sometimes  two,  or  even  three  plays 
would  be  combined  into  one,  sometimes  a  play  would  be  laid  aside  and 
the  craft  to  which  it  had  been  assigned  must  join  in  producing  some  other. "^ 

The  recent  publication  of  the  complete  text  of  the  York  Memorandum 
Book^  makes  it  possible  to  gain  more  definite  information  concerning  the 
actual  conditions  underlying  the  presentation  of  Corpus  Christi  plays 
under  gild  control.  A  detailed  study  of  the  rise  of  new  crafts,  of  the  decay 
of  old  ones,  and  of  the  combination  of  two  or  more,  is  a  study  of  the  rise 
and  development  of  the  Corpus  Christi  cycle.  This  is  because  each  play 
was  assigned  to  different  crafts,  which,  from  yescc  to  year,  were  responsible 
for  the  support  and  production  of  their  respective  pageants.  In  this  way, 
plays  came  to  be  identified  with  certain  gilds,  and  at  least  one  case  is  re- 
corded in  which  the  gild  is  known  by  the  nam.e  of  the  play  for  which  it  was 

I  Liher  diversorum  memorandorum  Civilatem  Ebor.  tangenlitim,  beginning  with  1376,  has  been  published 
recently  by  Miss  Maud  Sellers  for  the  Surtees  Society,  volumes  120  and  125,  entitled  the  York  Memorandum 
Book.  Certain  extracts  from  these  records  were  previously  published  by  Drake  in  his  Eboracum,  Davies 
in  Municipal  Records  of  the  City  of  York,  Miss  Smith  in  her  introduction  to  the  York  Mystery  Plays,  and 
Riley  in  the  Historical  Manuscript  Reports  Commission  1:109. 

'  Davies,  ibid.  app. 

»  Miss  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xix  ff. 

*  1415  list  printed  by  Miss  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xix  fi.;  undated  list  by  Davies,  ibid.  app.  233  ff. 
'  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xix. 

•  Ibid.  120  and  125,  ed.  by  Miss  Sellers. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  103 

responsible.  The  Carpenters'  Gild  which  produced  the  Resurrection  is 
referred  to  as  "the  holy  fraternite  of  the  Resurrection."" 

The  earliest  records  point  to  a  still  earlier  period  for  organization  of 
the  Corpus  Christi  cycle.  A  record  of  1376  refers  to  the  storage  of  Corpus 
Christi  pageants. ^  The  places  at  which  the  performances  were  given  are 
referred  to  in  1394  as  antiquitus  assignalis.^  In  1378,  certain  fines  incurred 
by  the  Bakers  were  paid,  half  to  the  city  chamber,  half  a  la  pagine  des  ditz 
Pestoiirs  de  cor  pore  cristi}'^  A  record  of  1388  mentions  a  donation  of  a 
hundred  shillings  to  be  used  for  "furnishing  four  torches  to  be  burnt  in  the 
procession  on  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi. "^^  Other  crafts,  mentioned 
before  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century  in  connection  with  the  payment 
of  certain  sums  towards  the  support  of  Corpus  Christi  pageants,  are  the 
Plasterers  (1390),i2  the  Cardmakers  (1397?),i3  the  Cordwainers  (1393 ?),i^ 
the  Bowers  ( 1 395), ^Hhe  Fletchers  (1388?)/'  the  Lyttesters  (1390-1400?),!^ 
the  Glasiers  (or  Verrours,  1394),i8  the  Sadlers  ({398),^'  and  the  Tailors 
(1386).2o 

Just  when  the  York  gilds  assumed  control  of  the  Corpus  Christi  cycle, 
we  do  not  know.  It  is  difficult  to  determine  what  was  meant  by  "ancient" 
in  the  1394  record,  already  referred  to,  but  Miss  Smith's  conclusion  that 
the  cycle  originated  as  early  as  1340-50  may  well  be  correct.  The  Cam- 
bridge reference  of  1350  to  Corpus  Christi  plays,^!  as  well  as  the  Chester 

'  Ibid.  125:intro.  xxxviii. 

8  Ibid.  120:10.  Two  shillings  were  charged  de  uno  tenemento,  in  quo  tres  pagine  Corporis  Christi  po- 
nuntur,  per  annum. 

9  Davies,  ibid.  app.  230. 
Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxxii. 

In  1399,  the  Verrours  complained  that  the  plays  of  Corpus  Christi  day  were  not  performed  as  they 
should  be,  because  they  were  given  in  too  many  places;  it  was  therefore  ordained  that  the  number  of  sta- 
tions should  be  limited  to  twelve.     See  Davies,  ibid.  app.  231;  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxxii;  Sur.  Soc.  120:50. 

1"  Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxxi. 
Ibid.  120:169.     Here,  the  record  is  undated. 

"  Davies,  ibid.  app.  230. 

i^-  Ibid.  120:115. 

^i  Ibid.  120:78-79.  This  date  is  determined  by  the  dates  of  the  enrollment  of  the  members.  Miss 
Sellers  (.op.  cit.  78,  n.  3)  has  identified  from  the  freemen's  list  certain  of  the  masters  mentioned  in  the 
ordinance;  the  earliest  of  the  dates  of  enrollment  being  possibly  1368,  the  latest  1397. 

i*  Ibid.  120:72-74.  This  date  is  determined  by  the  dates  of  the  enrollment  of  the  masters.  Miss 
Sellers  (op.  cit.  72,  n.  5)  identifies  from  the  freemen's  list  51  of  the  59  masters:  the  earliest  of  the  dates 
being  1356,  the  latest  1393. 

i^Ibid.  120:52-54. 

>6  Ibid.  120:110.  Isti  const iluciones  composite  fuerunt  in  die  Lucie  virginis  anno  xii  (December  13, 
1388?)  is  written  at  the  top  of  the  right-hand  corner,  according  to  Miss  Sellers  (n.  6,  p.  110). 

iT  Ibid.  120:112.  According  to  Miss  Sellers  (n.  2,  p.  112),  these  enactments,  judging  from  the 
dates  of  the  enrollment  on  the  freemen's  list,  "belong  to  the  last  decade  of  the  fourteenth  century." 

^^  Ibid.  120:50-52.  Davies,  op.  cu.  app.  231-32  dates  the  ordinance  concerning  the  stations  at 
which  Corpus  Christi  plays  are  given  as  1394. 

»«/6i<i.  120:90-1. 

io  Ibid.  120:100. 

-'  See  Chambers,  op.  cit.  2:344;  Hist.  MSS.  14:8,  133;  Arnold,  Memorials  of  St.  Edmund's  Abbey  (R.S.) 
3:361. 


104  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

tradition  of  1328,--  point  to  the  second  quarter  of  the  fourteenth  century /I 
as~tEe^time  in  which  the  Enghsh  cycles  originated. 

During  the  seventeen  years  from  1415  to  1432,  ordinances  referring 
to  Corpus  Christi  affairs  are  very  numerous.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  the 
success  or  the  failure  of  a  given  play  and,  for  that  matter,  its  very  existence 
as  a  part  of  the  Corpus  Christi  cycle  was  largely  dependent  upon  the 
financial  status  of  the  craft  to  which  it  had  been  assigned,  or  to  the  willing- 
ness of  the  craft  to  continue  the  play. 

(1)  A  record  of  1431  presents  a  complaint  of  the  Masons^^in  which  they  ask  to  be 
relieved  of  the  necessity  of  producing  any  longer  their  play^known  as  Fergus,  on  the 
ground  that  its  subject-matter  was  not  contained  in  Holy  Scripture,  and  that  it  gave 
rise  to  more  laughter  and  noise  than  devotion.  They,  therefore,  petitioned  that  they 
might  be  granted  another  play,  one  which  should  be  in  accordance  with  Holy 
Scripture  and  could  be  produced  and  played  in  daylight.  At  the  same  time,  the 
Goldsmiths^^  appeared  before  the  Council  and  on  the  plea  that  they  had  met  with 
misfortune  and  "had  become  poorer  than  they  were  wont  to  be,"  begged  to  be  given 
some  assistance  in  the  "grievous  burden  and  enormous  costs"  entailed  by  the  produc- 
tion of  two  pageants  in  the  play  of  Corpus  Christi.  The  council  adjusted  both  mat- 
ters by  allowing  the  Masons  to  drop  their  play,  Fergus,  and  to  assume  charge  of  the 
Herod  play,  one  of  the  two  maintained  by  the  Goldsmiths.  In  this  manner,  the  loss 
of  Fergus  is  to  be  explained.^* 

(2)  In  1422,  the  Painters,  Stainers,  Pinners,  and  Latoners"  suggested  to  the 
mayor  and  council  that  because  of  the  excessive  number  of  plays,  it  would  be  a  dis- 
tinct gain  if  the  two  plays  for  which  they  were  responsible  could  be  shortened  and 
combined  into  one.  Since  the  subject-matter  of  the  one,  the  Nailing  to  the  Cross,  over- 
lapped that  of  the  other,  the  Raising  of  the  Cross,  they  thought  that  the  material  of 
both  could  very  well  be  combined.  It  was  thereupon  decreed  that  the  Painters  and 
Stainers  should  be  exempt  from  bringing  forth  a  play,  but  should  pay  five  shillings 
annually  to  the  Pinners  and  Latoners,  who  would  undertake  to  produce  the  consoli- 
dated play.  In  keeping  with  this  order,  the  later  amalgamated  play  was  entered  in 
the  register,  while  the  two  earlier  versions,  like  that  of  Fergus,  were  discarded  and  lost. 
This  was  a  partial  return  to  the  original  form  now  seen  in  Towneley  XXIII,  in  which 
the  Crucifixion,  includes  the  Nailing  to  the  Cross,  the  Raising  of  the  Cross,  the 
Crucifixion  and  the  Death  and  Burial. 

(3)  In  1417,  the  Salsemakers,-^  who  were  responsible  for  the  production  of  the 
play  of  the  Hanging  of  Judas,  appeared  before  the  mayor  and  Council  and  complained 
that  if  those  who  were  encroaching  upon  their  trade  were  not  forced  to  contribute  to 
the  support  of  their  pageant,  according  to  ancient  custom,  they  would  no  longer  be 
able  to  produce  it.  Whereupon,  it  was  ordained  that  each  artificer  of  the  city  who  was 
not  a  candlemaker  but  who  sold  Parisian  candles  [by  retail],  should  annually  contribute 

"  See  Chambers,  op.  oil.  2:348. 

^  Sur.  Soc.  125:123-24;  see  also  intro.  xlix. 

M  Loc.  cil. 

"Burton's  1415  list  (Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxvii)  describes  the  play  thus:     Quatuor  Apostoli  Porlantes 
ferelrum  Marie,  et  Fergus  pendens  super  fereirum,  cum  it  aliis  Judeis  [cum  vno  Angela]. 
"  Sur.  Soc.  125:102-4;  see  also  intro.  xix  and  xlvii. 
"  Riley's  report  in  Hist.  MS.  Com.  1:109. 

Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xxiv. 

Sur.  Soc.  120:155. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  105 

three  pence.  In  1422,-^  however,  the  Salsemakers  amalgamated  their  play  with  those 
of  other  crafts,  resulting  in  the  pageant  known  as  the  Condemnation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
At  this  time  the  following  pageants  were  united:  the  pageant  of  the  Salsemakers,  in 
which  Judas  hanged  himself  and  crepuit  medius,  the  pageant  of  the  Tilemakers,  in 
which  Pilate  condemned  Jesus  to  death,  the  pageant  of  the  Turnors,  Hayresters,  and 
Boilers,  in  which  Jesus  was  bound  to  a  pillar  and  scourged,  and  the  pageant  of  the 
Millers,  in  which  Pilate  and  other  soldiers  played  at  dice  for  the  clothing  of  Jesus. 
Ten  years  later,  the  Salsemakers  retired  from  active  participation  in  the  production 
of  the  pageant  and  paid,  instead,  five  shillings  to  the  Tilers.-^ 

The  play  copied  in  the  manuscript,  ten,  fifteen,  or  twenty  years  later,'"  is  a  differ- 
ent one  from  that  provided  for  in  the  1422  order  and  again  passed  upon  in  the  1432 
Council.  Since  the  play  of  the  Condemnation,  as  recorded  in  the  Register,  contains 
neither  the  Hanging  of  Judas  nor  the  Throwing  of  the  Dice,  it  seems  reasonable  to 
infer  that  either  the  dissatisfaction  felt  by  the  Salsemakers  and  IMillers,  or  the  poverty 
under  which  they  suffered,  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  they  refused  or  were  unable 
to  bear  longer  the  expense  of  their  respective  portions  of  the  pageant  and  that,  there- 
fore, the  parts  for  which  they  were  responsible  were  thrown  out.  The  cycle  as  we 
now  possess  it  contains  no  incident  connected  with  the  Hanging  of  Judas.  Nor  can  the 
few  lines  describing  the  Throwing  of  the  Dice,  the  one  scene  occurring  immediately  after 
the  arrival  on  Mount  Calvary,  and  the  other  after  the  raising  of  the  cross,  be  the  original 
play  offered  by  the  Millers,  for  in  the  extant  scenes  the  comic  figure  of  Pilate  plays 
no  part.  The  description  given  him  in  the  old  York  play  seems  rather  to  fit  the 
Towneley  play  of  the  Talents,  ubi  Pilatus  et  alii  milites  ludebant  ad  talos  pro  vesti- 
mentis  Jesu  et  pro  eis  sortes  tnittebant  et  ea  parciebantur  inter  se.^^  The  old  York  play 
may,  indeed,  be  extant,  in  part  at  least  in  the  Towneley  cycle. 

(4)  In  1419,52  the  Ironmongers,  who,  according  to  the  1415  Burton  list,  were 
responsible  for  the  play  of  Mary  Magdalene  at  the  house  of  Simon  the  Leper,  com- 
plained bitterly  of  their  poverty-stricken  condition. '^  Because  their  pageant  had 
fallen  into  a  ruinous  condition,  which  necessitated  an  annual  reparation,  they  found 
it  difficult  to  meet  the  additional  expenses,  and  therefore,  pleaded  that  apprentices 
be  forced  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  pageant.  They  continued  to  give  the 
play  as  late  as  1433  or  1434,  because  the  play  is  included  in  the  second  Burton  list. 
But  since  it  was  not  entered  in  the  Register,  one  may  conclude  that,  a  few  years  later, 
they  found  it  impossible  to  continue  its  performance. 

Thus,  if  the  records  preceding  the  year  1415  were  complete,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  certain  plays  absent  in  York,  but  included  in  the  Towneley 
cycle,  could  be  explained  by  the  financial  status  of  the  crafts  which  were 
responsible  for  their  production.  Perhaps,  the  six  Towneley  plays,  Isaac, 
Jacob,  Prophetae,  Octavian,  Hanging  oj  Judas,  and  Talents,  were  dropped 
from  York  because  of  the  poverty  of  their  respective  crafts,  or  the  unwill- 
ingness of  the  crafts  to  continue  any  longer  the  support  of  the  pageants. 

28  Davies,  op.  cit.  app.  235;  Smith,  op.  cit.  intro.  xxv;  Stir.  Soc.  125:171. 

■^^  Sur.Soc.  125:173. 

'"  Thought  to  be  1430-40.     See  Miss  Smith,  op.  cil.  intro.  xv,  xviii. 

"  See  1415  list.  Smith,  op.  cit.  xxv. 

'-  Through  a  mistake.  Miss  Sellers  gives  1490  as  the  date  of  these  ordinances.  Since  the  ordinance, 
itself,  bears  the  date  anno  Domini  millesimo  cccc  nonodecimo,  and  advances  the  information  that 
these  orders  were  passed  in  the  time  of  Thome  Gare,  maioris  Ebor,  who  according  to  the  Freemen's 
List  {Sitr.  Soc.  96)  was  mayor  in  1419,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  correct  date  of  the  ordinance  is  1419. 

3'  The  Ironmongers  had  always  been  a  poor  struggling  gild,  with  only  a  few  members,  numbering  in 
1342  but  twelve,  and  even  seventy-seven  years  later,  at  the  time  of  the  above  mentioned  complaint,  its 
enrollment  had  been  increased  only  by  the  addition  of  a  single  member.     See  Sur.  Soc.  120:intro.  xxxvii. 


106  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

The  York  cycle  was  not  so  fully  developed  at  the  end  of  the  fourteenth 
century  as  it  was  in  1415,  according  to  the  Burton  list.  The  fact  that  the 
Drapers  in  1403  contributed  to  the  pageant  of  Pharaoh  in  conjunction 
with  the  Hosiers,'*  but  in  1415  were  in  charge  of  the  Death  of  Mary^'"  is  an 
indication  of  the  later  elaboration  and  separation  of  the  Mary  plays. 
Although  we  possess  no  other  records  pointing  to  a  less  developed  cycle 
at  York  than  that  described  in  the  two  Burton  lists,  1415  to  1431,  there 
is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  parent  cycle,  which  probably  belonged  at 
York,  was  not  actually  developed,  in  part  at  least,  from  liturgical  plays. 
The  reference  of  1255  to  the  Pastor es  and  Magi^^  may  be  taken"  as  evidence 
for  the  existence,  at  that  time,  of  a  group  of  liturgical  plays  centering 
about  the  Nativity. 

Though  no  reference  to  the  transitional  development  of  the  York 
cycle  has  as  j^et  been  found,  probably  it  passed  through  the  same  stage 
as  that  represented  by  the  Shrewsbury  Fragments.  Such  an  assumption 
is  strengthened  by  the  resemblances  between  the  two  cycles  pointed  out 
by  Professor  Skeat.^^ 

A  stage  in  the  development  of  cycles  earlier  than  that  of  York  or  Towne- 
ley  is  seen  in  the  true-Coventry  plays.  Apparently  but  a  single  step  inter- 
venes between  the  stage  represented  by  the  Nativity  group  of  the  Coventry 
plays,  in  which  individual  incidents  have  already  attained  some  elabora- 
tion within  the  limits  of  a  single  play,  and  the  stage  represented  by  the 
Towneley  cycle,  where  the  same  incidents,  receiving  further  amplification 
and  adornment,  have  been  made  into  separate  plays  and  put  in  the  charge 
of  different  gilds.  This  further  growth  was  probably  due  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  individual  crafts  and  their  demand  for  a  share  in  the  Corpus 
Christi  productions.'^ 

««  Riley,  Hist.  MS.  Report  1:109. 
Smith,  ibid,  intro.  xx  n.  3. 
Sur.  Soc.  120:154. 
"  See  Burton  list.  Smith,  op.  cit.  intro. 

"Lincoln  Statutes  2:98.  Ij 

Chambers,  «6i(i.  2:399.  |\ 

Waterhouse,  Non-English  Cycle  Plays  EETSES  104:  intro.  xxv.   \\ 
Craig,  ibid.  Journ.  Eng.  and  Ger.  Phil.  13:9;  Mod.  Phil.  10:485. 
"Skeat,  Acad.  1890. 

Waterhouse,  ibid.  EETSES  104:intro.  xx. 
"  The  York  craftsmen  did  not  begin  to  form  themselves  into  societies  much  before  the  beginning  of 
the  fourteenth  or,  at  the  earliest,  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century.  (See  Sur.  Soc.  120:xxiv  and  125:xxviii.) 
The  merchant  gild  of  York  was  organized  certainly  as  early  as  1200  and  was  at  first  so  strong  and  influential 
that  it  dominated  the  city  council.  The  Weavers  had  obtained  their  incorporation  even  earlier.  (See 
Sur.  Soc.  120:xxvii.)  The  establishment  shortly  afterwards  of  the  Tailors,  Tapiters,  and  Lyttesters,  all 
of  which  were  large  and  influential  gilds,  gave  to  the  cloth-making  crafts  a  predominance  which  they 
never  relinquished.  The  architectural  development  of  the  fifteenth  century  led  to  great  activity  in  the 
building  trades.  The  Glasiers,  Carpenters,  Tilers,  and  Plasterers  appear  many  times  in  the  council 
chamber  for  the  ratification  of  their  ordinances.  (See  Sur.  Soc.  125:  intro.  xxviii.)  By  the  end  of  the 
century,  the  metal-working  gilds  were  also  developed  and  differentiated — the  Cutlers,  Pinners,  Gold- 
smiths, Girdlers,  Founderers,  Pewterers,  etc.  (See  Sur.  Soc.  120:  intro.  xxxiv.)  It  is  very  likely  that 
the  high  development  which  the  Corpus  Christi  cycle  attained,  at  York,  was  due  entirely  to  the  increased 
demand  created  by  newly  formed  gilds  for  individual  plays. 


THE    YORK  AND    TOWNELEY   CYCLES  107 

Some  intermediate  stage,  like  that  to  be  seen  in  the  Towneley  cycle, 
must  have  intervened  between  the  stage  represented  by  true-Coventry  and 
that  represented  by  York  in  1415.  In  certain  parts  of  the  Towneley  cycle, 
it  is  possible  to  see  that  stage  of  development,  in  which  the  earlier  plays 
had  already  begun  to  break  up,  but  had  not  yet  reached  the  highly 
developed  stage  represented  by  the  Burton  lists.  The  incidents  presented 
in  the  Towneley  Creation  group  are  elaborated  into  six  distinct  plays  in 
York  and  the  Towneley  Passion  group  of  four  plays  into  eight  plays  in 
York.  Single  Towneley  plays  have  been  separated  into  two  or  three 
distinct  pageants  in  York:  the  Towneley  Conspiracy  into  three,  the  Towne- 
ley Scourging  into  two,  the  Towneley  Crucifixion  into  two,  the  Towneley 
Resurrection  into  two,  the  Towneley  Magi  into  two,  and  the  Towneley 
Noah  into  two.  It  thus  becomes  evident  that  the  Towneley  cycle  rep- 
resents that  intermediate  stage  of  development  through  which  the  York 
cycle  must  surely  have  passed  before  it  reached  its  present  highly  de- 
veloped stage. 

Because  of  the  incompleteness  of  the  York  records,  we  can  do  little 
more  than  suggest  that  the  York  cycle  before  1400  did  not  include  all  of 
the  extant  plays.  Two  crafts,  the  Tapiters,^^  and  the  Smiths,^"  responsible 
for  plays  in  141 5, ^^  mention  before  this  date  only  the  Corpus  Christi 
lights  which  they  provide.  If  they  had  also  possessed  pageants  at  this 
time,  it  seems  probable  that  they  would  have  mentioned  them  in  connection 
with  the  provisions  for  the  lights,  but  their  failure  to  do  so  may  be  taken 
as  negative  evidence  that  they  did  not.  Because  of  the  close  identity  of 
a  given  craft  with  a  particular  play,  we  may  infer  that  before  the  end  of 
the  century  the  plays  for  which  these  crafts  were  later  responsible,  namely, 
Pilate's  Wife's  Dream  and  the  Temptation,  were  not  included  in  the  York 
cycle.  Since  Towneley  contains  neither  of  these  plays,  the  natural  inference 
is  that  they  did  not  form  a  part  of  the  parent  cycle. 

Two  of  the  York  crafts,  the  Plasterers^-  and  the  Cardmakers,^^ responsible 
for  two  plays  later  revised  in  York,"**  the  Creation  to  the  Fifth  Day  and  the 
Creation  of  Adam  and  Eve,  mention  payments  for  the  support  of  their 
pageants  as  early  as  1390  and  1397  respectively.  Thus  it  is  evident  that 
the  division  into  separate  units  of  the  Creation  play,  now  extant  in  a 
single  play  in  Towneley,  had  already  begun  in  York  by  the  year  1390. 
The  separation  of  the  York  and  Towneley  cycles  must,  then,  have  occurred 
before  this  date.    The  work  of  the  Wakefield  writer,  generally  assigned  to 

'^  Stir.  Soc.  120:84-86. 

"  Ibid.  lOS-9. 

*i  Burton's  List,  Smith,  op.  cit.  intro.  .xix  f. 

*^Siir.  Soc.  120:115. 

«  Ihid.  78-79. 

"  See  above    ch.  IV,  70  ff. 


108  MARIE   C.  LYLE 

the  first  of  the  fifteenth  centur}^  or  the  last  of  the  fourteenth  century,*' 
also  points  to  the  independent  existence  of  the  Towneley  cycle  at  that 
time.  Since  he  revised  York  material,*^  it  seems  safe  to  conclude  that 
the  separation  of  the  York  and  Towneley  cycles  occurred  before  the  end 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  and  according  to  the  extant  record  of  the  York 
craft  of  the  Plasterers,  cited  above,  at  least  before  the  year  1390. 

♦5  Sur.  Soc.  edition  of  the  Towneley  Mysteries  intro.  x. 
Pollard,  ibid,  intro.  xxvi-xxvii. 

Hope  Traver,  Relation  of  Musical  Terms  in  Woodkirk  Shepherd's  Plays  to  the  Dates  of  Their  Com- 
position Mod.  Lang.  Notes  20:1. 

"  See  above,  ch.  IV,  p.  101. 


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Gerould.     Moll  of  the  Prima  Pastorum.     Modern  Language  Notes  19:225. 
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HoHLFELD,  A.     Die  altenglischen  KoUektivmysterien.     A  nglia  11:219. 

Two   Old   English   mystery  plays  on   the  subject  of   Abraham's    sacrifice. 

Modern  Language  Notes  5:222. 

HoLTHAUSEN,  F.     Beitrage  zur  Erklarung  und  Textkritik  dcr  York  Plays.     Archiv  fur 
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Nachtrag  zu  den  Quellen  der  York  Plays.     Herrig's  Archiv  86:280. 

Noah's  ark,  or  the  shipwright's  ancient  play  or  dirge.     1897. 

Hone,  William.     Ancient  mysteries  described.     London.     1823. 
HoRSTMANN,  C.     Sammlung  altenglischen  Legenden.     Heilbron.     1881. 
Kaluza,  Max.    Englische  Metrik  in  historischer  Entwicklung.     Berlin.     1909. 
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1887.     AngUa  10:189. 
Kretzmann,  P.  E.     The  liturgical   ejement  in   the   earliest  forms  of  the  medieval 

Drama.      Minnesota  Dissertation.      Minneapolis.      1916. 
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Modern  Philology  13:59. 
Klein,  J.  L.     Geschichte  des   Dramas,   3,   12,   13:   Das  englische  Drama.     Leipzig. 

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KoLBiNG,  E.     Beitrage  zur  Erklarung  und  Textkritik  der  York  Plays.     Englische 

Studien  20:179. 

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1899. 
Lange,  Carl.     Die  lateinischen  Osterfeiern.     Miinchen.      1887. 
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1901. 
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by  C.  Wordsworth.     2  volumes.     1892-97. 
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Pollard,  A.  W.     See  Towneley  mysteries. 


112  BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Pollard,  A.  W.  English  miracle  plays,  moralities,  and  interludes.  Oxford.  1890. 
Saintsbury,  G.  E.  a  history  of  English  prosody.  London  and  New  York.  1906. 
ScHiPPER,  Jakob.     Altenglische  Metrik.     Bonn.     1881. 

Sharp,  Thomas.     On  the  pageants  or  dramatic  mysteries  anciently  performed  at 
Coventry.     Coventry.     1825. 

See  Digbj^  pla^J's. 

Skeat,  W.  W.     Joseph  of  Arimathea.     Athenaeum  11:779. 
Smith,  Lucy  Toulmin.     See  the  York  plays. 

Play  of  Abraham  and  Isaac.     Anglia  7:316. 

Smith,  Toulmin.     The  English  gilds.    Early  English  Text  Society  ^Q.    London.     1870. 
Spencer,  M.   L.     Corpus  Christi  pageants  in  England.     New  York.      1911. 
Stoddard,  F.  H.    References  for  students  of  miracle  plays  and  mysteries.     University 

of  California  Library  Bulletin,  no.  8.     18S7. 
Story  of  Genesis  and  Exodus.     Edited  by  Morris.     Early  English   Text  Society  7. 
SwENSON,  E.  L.     An  inquiry  into  the  composition  and  structure  of  Ludus  Coven- 

triae.     University  of  Minnesota.     Minneapolis.      1914. 
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The  correspondence  of  Dr.   Mattew  Hutton,  Archbishop  of  York.     Edited  by 

Raine.     Vol.  17. 
Manuale  et  processionale  ad   usum  insignis  ecclesiae  eboracensis.      Edited  by 

Henderson.     Vol.  63. 
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Register  of  the  guild  of  Corpus  Christi  in  the  city  of  York.     Edited  bj^  R.  H. 

Skaife.     Vol.  57. 
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statistics,  etc.  of  the  province  of  York  from   1300  downwards.     Edited  by 
Raine.     Vols.  4,  26,  30,  45,  53,  79,  106. 
Towneley  mysteries.     Vol.  3. 

York  breviary.     Edited  b}?^  S.  Lawley.     Vols.  71,  75. 
York  memorandum  book.     Edited  by  M.  Sellers.     Vols.  120  and  125. 
York  missal.     Edited  by  Henderson.     Vols.  59,  60. 
York  pontifical.     Edited  by  Henderson.     Vol.  61. 
Taylor,  George  C.     An  EngHsh  Planctus  Mariae.     Modern  Philology  4:605. 

Relation  of  the  English  Corpus  Christi  play  to  the  Middle  English  lyric. 

Modern  Philology  5:1-38. 

Ten  Brink,  Bernhard.     History    of    English    literature.     Translated    by    L.    D. 

Schmitz.     New  York.     1893-96. 
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Edited  by  Pollard.     Early  English  Text  Society  71,  extra  series.     London.     1SQ7. 

Surtees  Society  Publications.     London.     1836. 

Child,  The  second  shepherds'  play.     Boston.     1910. 

Hemingway,  English  nativity  plays,  prints  plays  10,  11,  12,  13. 

Manly,  Specimens  of  pre-Shakespearean  drama,  prints  plays  3,  5,  6,  13. 

Marriott,  English  miracle  plays,  prints  plays  8,  13,  23,  25,  30. 

Cook  reader,  prints  play  13. 

Athenaeum  11:284,  prints  play  24. 

Shakespeare  Jahrbuch,  prints  play  24. 

Smith,  York  plays,  prints  plays  8,  18,  25,  26,  30,  for  comparison  with  York. 

Everyman  with  other  interludes,  prints  inlays  13,  23,  25  (modern  rendering).     In 
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Pollard,  English  miracle  plays,  prints  play  13. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  113 


Collier,  Five  miracle  plays,  prints  play  13.     London.      1836. 
Douce,  Roxborough  Club,  prints  play  30.     1822. 
Matzner,  Altenglische  Sprachprobcn,  1,  prints  play  3. 
Zupitza,  tibungsbuch,  prints  play  3. 
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Ungemach,  H.     Die  Quellcn  der  fiinf  Chester  Plays.     Erlangen.     1890. 
Utesch,  Hans  F.     Die  Quellen  der  Chester  Plays.     Dissertation  Kiel.     1909. 
'    Van    der    Graf.     Miracles   and    mysteries   in   southeastern    Yorkshire.      Englische 
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Vicl  Testament,  Le  mystcre  du.     Edited  by  J.  de  Rothschild  and  E.  Picot.     Sociele 
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W.  Page.     London.     1913. 
"^7* Ward,  A.   W.     History  of  English  dramatic  literature.     London.      1875.     Second 
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"^^Wells,  John  E.     A  manual  of  the  writings  in  Middle  English.     New  Haven  and 
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^York  mystery  plays. 
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1885. 
Skryvencr's  pagent:  the  incredulity  of  Thomas,  published  by  Collier,  Camden 

Miscellany,  4,  and  by  Croft  in  Excerpta  Antiquae. 
Play  14  in  Cook  reader. 
{)  ■?■■  A  '*  Plays  12,  13,  14,  15  in  Hemingway,  English  nativity  plays. 
Plays  38,  48  in  Manly 's  specimens  1. 
>7>-    Play  1  in  Pollard's  English  miracle  plays. 

Note  on  the  Manuscript  in  Academy  530:9.     1822. 
"ff.'Sv  Zupitza,  Julius.    The  York  plays.    Deutsche  Literatur  Zeitung  6:1304.    Berlin.     1880. 


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